BASKETBALL: Capital is must-win for Thunder

He commented: "The arena was nice, a bit like Sheffield with stands on both sides, and there were about 800 people. But the atmosphere wasn't as good as it is at Worthing."

The Thunder need a sixth man and the Leisure Centre crowd are still learning how to be that man, and vocally get behind their team to the hilt '“ as they famously did back in the 1990s. Up on Saturday comes the situation in which the fans really must endeavour to deliver, as much as their team have to. Because it's now a must-win.

The basement boys London Capital visit the next team above them and both sorely need a leg-up for the period running into Christmas.

Although there is no relegation, a loss would be a crisis of belief.

Thunder sank in the face of adversity on Friday and Saturday with their lowest scores of this BBL debut season, and at Liverpool to their heaviest defeat. Sheffield went to sixth place, avenged one of Thunder's only two victories so far, and delayed furthermore their maiden home win.

Coach Gary Smith was unavailable for both games and player-assistant Daniel Hildreth had to take over. Ex-Guildford shooting-guard and ball thief Dan Wardrope was also absent, and point-guard Ryan Patton was forced out near the end against Sharks by an ankle injury.

Jonathan Woods came back from Chicago after a sudden return over a family bereavement had ruled him out of the loss at Newcastle a week earlier. He plunged into a scenario of two games in 24 hours, the first against Everton, one of the title favourites, with a long bus journey home and a bedtime after 4.30am in between matches.

Dan Midgley was not complaining: "It's part and parcel of being a BBL player. Everybody's got to go through it. And we respected Jonathan for coming back and playing for us. That was professional."

Thunder's 27-year-old small-forward was the loser to his more illustrious brother Richard, 25, who is now the Everton Tigers point-guard. He had a stellar Englishman's USA college basketball career at Berkeley, University of California, and a Spanish League second division stint for Tenerife before a tendonitis problem.

Dan remarked: "Everton, all day, every day, go to the gym, shoot basketballs and practise. We practise twice or three times. I work in finance sales support and was up in Cambridge all week, coming back in the evening for training. It was tiring.

"It was the first time I've ever played against Richard, and it was a lot of fun, although I didn't have to guard him at any stage. He was confident before the game but that's not surprising because Everton are expected to win everything.

"The score didn't do us justice, but our bench have got to start helping out by producing a bit more and that's up to guys like me, James Brame and Dan Wardrope.

"But I'm pretty confident we'll beat London Capital. Together, we're becoming a really close team. There's real camaraderie. We've just got to start performing."

London Capital (BBL lowest in scoring, highest in turnovers) lost 107-87 at Worcester on Saturday; and lost 106-69 at home to Cheshire on Sunday.

THUNDER '“ Ivanovskis 17, Patton 16, Woods 14, Bargeman 10, Hildreth 5, Perkins 2, Brame 2, Midgley 0, Berry 0, Did not play: Burns, Wardrope.

SHARKS '“ Whyte 25, Rivers 20, Sanders 18, Gorman 11, Burns 6, Cauthorn 4, Lawson 2, Lyons 2, Okorie 0.

TIGERS '“ Gross 26, Smith 23, Midgley 22, Babalola 10, Haslam 6, Herriman 6, Nowell 2, Onoura 2, Jones 2, Popoola 2, Bailey 2.

THUNDER '“ Ivanovskis 22, Midgley 11, Bargeman 11, Woods 6, Patton 5, Hildreth 5, Perkins 3, Brame 2, Burns 2. DNP: Wardrope.

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