The life of a professional sportsman during the festive season is not an easy one. With games to play they have to make sure they don’t enjoy the break too much and over indulge. So it has been for the Newcastle Eagles under Head Coach Marc Steuel.

The team are already back in full training before today’s crucial SLB Championship game at the Vertu Arena against Caledonia Gladiators. The Eagles have managed a nine-day break in games since beating Leicester Riders at home on December 19 by 98-85 but need to be ready to go again.

Coach Steutel started his preview of the task ahead by referring back to that pre-Christmas win against the Riders.

“The group enjoyed the Leicester win and played good basketball. It was a really positive performance and everyone contributed to that performance. The mood afterwards was good and it’s always nice to get that win before Christmas.”

“It’s back to business now. The guys have had the appropriate rest. Christmas Day off but we practised Boxing Day and on Saturday to be ready to go on Sunday. It’s a really important home game for us.”

Newcastle have played Caledonia twice already this season both times up in Scotland. On the opening day of the season they came away with a 109-104 league win. Then in the SLB Trophy group game they prevailed again with a 79-76 win. Steutel knows that they need to follow that up.

“We need to get the win for sure. Caledonia have been fighting and pushing and they’re trying to salvage their season. We don’t take the game lightly at all. We were in control last time at their place and then game got close down the fourth quarter.”

“That was on the back-to-back away double header so you have to keep everything in perspective. We hope our fans come out in bunches and make the Vertu Arena a fortress. The atmosphere at the Leicester game was incredible and the fans were so important to us and we have to build on that.”

As to the keys to the game Steutel is clear in what he wants from his players.

“We’ve got make sure we start the right way. The right level of physicality and make sure we get stops. That allows us to get out in transition and play the game that we want. Then hopefully continue to play with good spacing.

“We need to find the right match-ups and the right pace and yes, play that way. As ever we’re excited to play. We’re preparing the right way. It’s a talented team for sure we face and we know that they’re desperate and hungry for a win.”

“We’ve got make sure we’re locked in and we’re taking care of business and we’ll be doing all that we can to make sure we get the win to start off a busy period of game.”

It is a cliché of course but in all team sports it’s one game at a time. But Steutel and his Eagles are about to face a very busy week. On December 30 they travel south to play Surrey 89ers before returning home to face Cheshire Phoenix next Friday in the first leg of the SLB Trophy semi-final.

A packed schedule for sure and it all starts on Sunday evening at 5:30pm in the Vertu Arena with the clash against one of their fiercest rivals, the Caledonia Gladiators.