Lindum Hockey’s new head coach, Stuart Cunnington, has previewed his side’s upcoming season.
The Lincoln-based club start life in England’s second-tier with the visit of Deeside Ramblers, before facing a string of university teams. Last season’s second-successive promotion has lifted Lindum into the highest division they, are any Lincolnshire hockey club, has reached.
They will do battle in the Division One North next season, as the incoming coach sets a “realistic” target of avoiding immediate relegation upon making the “big step” into their new league.
Speaking to The Linc, Cunnington said: “The first game is really important, and I think we need to be competitive. Ideally, we need to pick up a win, or certainly a positive result.”
Deeside travel down to Lincoln on Sunday, September 22 for the season opener.
Lindum then trip to Durham University the following week, before heading over to Loughborough Students. They return home to host Brooklands Manchester University and Nottingham University in October, then travel to Birmingham University at the start of November.
On the string of university opposition, Cunnington said: “There are some of the best universities in the country, and it’s certainly going to be a challenge. They will bring something slightly different from what you might get from a full adult senior team.
“They will have good stick skills, they will be young, they will be fit. They will be well coached, and they will train quite a lot as well.”
The Yellow Submarine finish the first half of the season with the visit of Olton & West Warwickshire, a trip to Harborne, and a home clash with Stourport. The final game before the winter break is the returning fixture at Deeside Ramblers.
With the new season around a month away, the new head coach reflected on the squad at his disposal, and said: “We’ve got seasoned players, we’ve got a really good average age. We’ve got people who know the game, and understand the game, so I think we can get into our groove quite quickly.”
The full fixture list for the 2024/25 season can be found here.