Surbiton men’s head coach Todd Williams is not panicking, despite back-to-back Men's Hockey League Premier Division defeats following the winter break, writes Iqbal Johal.

Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at bottom club Canterbury followed the 5-3 home loss to Brooklands MU, but Surbiton remain second with five games to go – eight points clear of fifth in the race for a play-off spot.

Williams has blamed injury issues for the recent dip in form and is sure his side are still very much on track for a top four finish.

He said: “We have had six or seven injuries since the break which has led to a slow start – there were three kids on the bench at the weekend.

“We were poor against Brooklands, but gave a good performance against a much improved Canterbury, so we are close to getting back to top form.

“We probably need just a couple of wins to be assured of the play-offs, so there is certainly no panic at our end.”

Surbiton travel to defending champions Wimbledon on Saturday, but Williams played down the significance of the clash.

He added: “I don’t think we should put particular importance on this game.

"The most important thing is that we get back to the level we have been at, and a defeat would still leave us extremely close to guaranteeing a top four spot.

“Wimbledon have been excellent in recent years so hopefully it will be a great game and a performance to match.”