Streatham Redskins captain Joe Johnston believes his side’s rivalry with Invicta Dynamos is stronger than ever as they prepare to face off on Saturday.
The game will see the second-placed Redskins take on the league leaders, who are on a 13-game winning streak.
Johnston, who played for a season at Invicta, knows better than anyone the rivalry between the two sides and doesn’t expect it to lessen soon.
“The Streatham – Invicta games are usually very, very spicy,” said Johnston.
“Invicta are a great team, they have arguably got the best squad in terms of skill level in the league.
“We have always had a rivalry with them but in past years we have been a bit lower down the league so it’s been more of a rivalry for us than them.
“But at the moment they are in first and we are second so it should make for great viewing on Saturday.
“There are certain things that we will have to do better than last weekend. We need to be more organised in defence and we will have to be clinical at the other end.
“In the past few years we have had this mentality of focussing on the other teams and worrying about them but this year we’ve got a good team.
“I look round the dressing room and we’ve got strength in depth in every area.
“It’s going to be tough, no doubt about it they are favourites so there is probably a bit of pressure of them. Most people would predict that they are going to win but that is just another motivation for us.
The return of Invicta forward Michal Oravec to Streatham promises to add even more ‘spice’ to the occasion.
Oravec played for the Redskins for two years but will be lining up against his old club for the first time.
“He’s a great guy,” Johnston commented.
“I was really sad to see him go but that’s just the way it works. It will be strange playing against him.
“He’s a very skillful player, he’s got great hands and great vision but hopefully he will have a terrible night on Saturday.”
On Sunday the Redskins travel to Milton Keynes to face MK Thunder for the second part of the weekend double header.
The last time the sides met the score was 14-5 in the Redskins favour. Johnston was ill so missed the game but recalls his surprise at the result.
“I was expecting it to be a pretty close result so when I was at home looking at the Twitter feed I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing,” he said.
“It was a surprising result but that’s what we are capable of.
“I don’t expect it to be the same on Sunday, I imagine it will be a lot closer. You are always expecting a tough game, they’ve got a very good team this year.”
