Scott Martin feels Newcastle Eagles took a big step by beating title rivals Sheffield Sharks last week, and they will look to build on that against Bristol Flyers on Friday.

As you might expect from a team of their pedigree, Eagles have responded well to an opening home defeat to Worcester Wolves.

Victory against Durham Wildcats followed before last week’s win against Sharks and Martin believes the nature of that success illustrates their improvements.

“It was a back and forth game on Friday against a very good team, but being able to pull it out was a big step for our team,” said the forward.

“I think the win shows how we are continuing to get better and more comfortable with one another as a team.”

The forward was a key part of the Championship-winning team of last term and also highlights home form as an important ingredient of such success.

Flyers have made a fantastic start to their first BBL campaign, winning three of their opening four games so will arrive at Sport Central full of confidence, but Martin knows taking care of business at home is vital, while continuing to get better.

“If you want to win the league championship winning home games is a must. Winning on the road is always a difficult task which makes taking care of your home games that much more important,” Martin said.

He added: “For me the focus this year remains the same as it is every year for me, and that is to continue to work to get better.

“More specifically this year I would like to have more of a presence on the perimeter while also continuing to do what I did inside as well.”

What they say:

Flyers coach Andreas Kapoulas: “Newcastle are of course a very experienced side and the fact that they play at home will make things even tougher.

“We really respect their programme. They have good size and terrific scoring ability. We know it’s going to be a very difficult game, however we want to play the best and see how we measure up. We definitely look forward to the challenge.”