No game for five weeks including a week when practice and an away game at Durham Palatinates had to be cancelled. Head Coach Matt Newby stepping down and only replaced on Thursday afternoon by current player Chloe Gaynor moving into a player-coach role.

Manchester 3 wins 1 loss on the season and at home and Gaynor unable to help her side in a playing capacity due to injury. It all added up to a very tough assignment for Newcastle Eagles on a Saturday afternoon. But they came flying through it all and return to Tyneside with a hugely deserved road win.

Each any everyone of the players, their new Coach and her staff all deserve enormous credit for accepting and adapting to a difficult set of circumstances and showing the character, determination, resilience and togetherness of a squad that believes not just in themselves but in each other as well.

The Eagles leading scorer Tierra Hodges was as always magnificent as she once again led the team in scoring. The experience of Lauren Saiki, Abby Lowe and Shannon Hatch as well as bench players Rachel Bland, Zoe Willis and Princess Adeogun was also crucial.

But perhaps the two most striking and eye-catching performances came from two of the team’s rookies in USA imports Jada Guinn and Kendall Currence who both had not just huge games but their best performance thus far in an Eagles vest.

Credit to outgoing Coach Newby for recognising their talent and potential and for bringing them in. The pair may not have been able to replay that faith to him personally but their efforts in this win certainly paid dividends for their teammates and the franchise.

Hodges narrowly missed a double-double with 24 points and 9 rebounds, likewise Guinn with 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 9 assists and Currence had 18 points including 8 from 8 from the free-throw line. Lowe also netting double digits with a very solid 13 points.

But this was a win built on defence. The Eagles were swarming all over the court in the first 20 minutes forcing turnover after turnover and coming up with big steals to turn that defence into potent offence. It all meant that they reached half-time leading 39 points to 31.

They knew a Manchester backlash would come in the third and so it proved as led by starter Danni Williams and evergreen Georgia Anderson from the bench the home side slowly but surely edged their way back into the game and actually took a 50 – 49 lead with 4:14 remaining in the period.

Cue a timely time-out by Gaynor and whatever adjustments she made in that 60 second discussion and whatever she said it worked superbly. Newcastle scored the next ten points to retake the lead and still lead by eight with ten minutes remaining.

With Saiki and Lowe on four fouls going into that last period it was about discipline, keeping calm and making sure every second from every player that went on court counted. That was the mission for the final quarter. It was mission accomplished as they held off their opponents and increased their lead.

All meaning that they took a memorable road victory and gave Coach Gaynor a historic start to the latest chapter in the storied franchise that is Newcastle Eagles. As a certain Mr Billy Ocean once sang, ‘When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going!’

With a one in the win column against second-placed Manchester and three Championship games to play before the end of the year, today’s win could have opened the door to SLB Cup Semi-Final qualification.

This season the women’s Cup competition sees the top four teams in the SLB Championship as of December 31, 2024, enter a knockout tournament where first plays fourth and second plays third in a single-leg elimination for a place in the Final.

Gaynor and her Eagles fly into action at home next Saturday afternoon against London Lions and tickets to get behind the Eagles in their Championship charge are available on the box office.