Strachan set for Hull return

While the Excel Hull Stingrays former head coach Rick Strachan has not made a sensational return to the club, he will set foot in the Hull Arena for the first time in nearly two years as he brings his new Nottingham Panthers side to East Yorkshire this Sunday.

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The 47 year old, who left the Rays by mutual consent in in April 2008, was named bench coach of the Panthers by player-head coach Corey Neilson a week ago, replacing the outgoing Davey Graham, who has seemingly taken the fall for the club's poor form in recent weeks.

That poor run saw them lose four from six at the tail end of 2010, including a pair of post-Christmas defeats to fierce rivals Sheffield, and, with both their coaching and defence coming under particular flak, Strachan has now been drafted in to shore up the defensive side of one of the most offensive bluelines in the league.

Thus far his appointment has gone well with the Panthers going two for two, even if they have seeped a total of nine goals in the 6-5 shootout win over Dundee and emphatic 11-4 victory over bottom side Newcastle.

Meanwhile, the Stingrays, who have just Andrew Jaszczyk, Lee Esders and Lee Mitchell remaining from the Strachan era, face a big weekend of their own as they continue to chase sixth place.

Having closed the gap to sixth placed Braehead to just a couple of points last weekend, the Rays face the Clan in Scotland on Saturday hoping to once again cut the deficit, which has since grown to eight points.

Significantly Sylvain Cloutier's side have played six fewer games than Bruce Richardson's team this season and the Rays lead teams' series having beaten the Clan twice in three games, however, the Scots themselves are closing in on fifth placed Coventry after turning a corner with wins over the Blaze themselves, Nottingham and Edinburgh twice in their last four outings, and they will be eager to level series.

Sunday's game (6pm, Hull Arena) sees Strachan and the Panthers return for revenge having lost in a shootout in their last meeting with the Stingrays at the NIC.