JIM Pennycook today boomed out a message of defiance: "We'll get it right."

Ice-cool Pennycook, player-coach at trouble-torn Blackburn Hawks, is refusing to buckle under suggestions that his side just aren't up to the rigours of the Northern Premier League.

Not even a depressing run of five defeats on the bounce can deter the resolute Scot who is showing the braveheart qualities of his Blackburn sporting colleague - and big chum - Colin Hendry.

It's a touch ironic that the last month - encouraging for Hendry's Rovers, but disastrous for Pennycook's Hawks - has seen the town's sporting crisis switch from Ewood to the Arena.

The coach is fully aware of the effect the recent sequence of results is having on both players and supporters. But he implores the faithful fans not to lose hope: "The last month has been grim, very grim. We know there are things that are wrong and we know we must act to put them right - and do it quickly.

"Losing drains confidence and if you lose confidence you have real problems. It's been a black time for us in terms of results, but there have been other factors contributing to that situation.

"With the number of injuries we've had, we've needed to chop and change the lines in the team a lot, and at the end of the day it hasn't worked. All we can do is go back to the drawing board, have a re-think and come back with some results.

"We have about three games in hand over the other teams in the division, and if we win our next few league games and pick up the full six points we will be right back in it. There's nothing to say it can't be done." Hawks have a double-header at the Arena this weekend with a challenge match against their old sparring partners Manchester Storm on Saturday (face off 6pm) and a Northern Premier League tie against Murrayfield Royals the next day (6pm).

Hawks were pipped in the promotion race to the Superleague by Storm last season, and the friendly promises to be a lively affair...with several scores to settle. Whereas Murrayfield have yet to beat Hawks this season, and will be chomping at the bit come Sunday.

Pennycook is hoping for a huge crowd to help boost the team and help them get back on track.

"I really must take my hat off to our supporters," he admits.

"They've been great and stuck with us all through this rough patch. Our main aim is to please them as much as they help us on the ice - because they're support is so important to the confidence of the team.

"We're really working hard at sorting out the problems in the team - looking at everything, getting the right combinations to work in the games."

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