BUDE Hockey Club’s men’s coach Andy Davis wants to see how his side cope under pressure when they take on fellow promotion hopefuls Falmouth on Saturday (1pm).

The Seasiders are currently second in Men’s Piran Division One of the West Hockey League and Davis isn’t shy about their aims.

Saturday should have seen Bude tackle Truro Fourths away from home before Storm Darragh put pay to that, but a visit from fourth-placed Falmouth won’t be easy.

Davis said: “This will be a real promotion acid test as we are against one of the stronger teams in the league and is a must-win game in terms of promotion.

“But results aside it will also truly show me how we are performing in terms of squad depth and development plus execution of set plays in a high-pressure game.”

Bude have 22 points from a possible 27 so far and scored 38 goals already, and Davis has been impressed.

He said: “The scorelines and results on almost every occasion have been excellent which has put us in the ideal position; destiny is still in our own hands but we are the ones doing the chasing and do not have the unwanted pressure of being league leaders sitting on our shoulders.

“Most importantly the attitude and performances have been pretty much impeccable which has helped towards long-term growth and shows the team are heading in the right direction.”

He added: “I am really happy with our position and if I'm totally honest given how the league seems to be stronger this season and the changes I have tried to implement, we are sitting slightly higher than I thought we would be.

“Like previous seasons we have had a different squad each match-day, so to have so much consistency is really pleasing. We just need to continue being level-headed and stick to the processes that we have brought in to make sure we earn points each and every game no matter the opposition.”

Bude will have to do without key brothers Henry and Charles Walker, who have moved on to a higher level in the last couple of weeks, but Davis feels they can cope.

He said: “Since the summer, several youngsters have taken the leap into senior hockey and their development is going well.

“The most notable loss has been the very recent departure of the extremely talented Walker brothers which will leave a big dent in the overall goal tally, but something that we knew would have to happen at some point as they really need to test themselves at a better standard.”

Bude have narrowly missed out on promotion in the last two seasons and despite the fine start, Davis isn’t relenting on the standards, saying: “The team have listened and implemented what has been asked of them and they have trusted me and themselves more as they know the bigger picture we are aiming for cannot be achieved with just a single win or good performance.

“There is still some technical and skill elements we need to improve on to make the wins easier to come by, but most importantly our set piece attacking short corners need to provide more of a return in goals. But, the foundations are well and truly in place, so hopefully this should naturally increase.”

Bude have a nice balance of youth and experience, a combination Davis admits has been vital.

He said: “It has been a real team effort but key role models Charlie Falla and Henry Gwynn-Thomas have been ever present so far this season; their willingness to adapt, learn and improve has seen them make the most remarkable individual improvements.

“But the knock-on effect their individual performances have had on the team performances and results cannot be under-estimated.”

So what are the aims over the second half of the season?

Davis said: “The table is nicely poised with the top four teams all still in contention as we have all taken and lost points against each other so far with no-one really standing head and shoulders above the other.

“This should lead to a great second half of the season where if we continue to learn and progress, we will be more than capable of winning all the remaining games and clinching that elusive promotion!”