BASINGSTOKE Bison player/coach Doug Sheppard says his side have to do better in front of goal if they are to turn their season around.

The Herd have dropped to fifth in the English Premier League table after losing seven of their last nine league games, failing to find the net more than twice in six of them.

Sheppard, a forward himself, is under no illusions as to where the problem lies and has refused to rule out bringing in new players as he looks to turn things around.

“Right now we are struggling to score goals and we need to get better fast,” the Bison boss, pictured right, said.

“Scoring is the hardest thing to do and we are finding it really difficult at the moment.

“We are creating chances and the puck is just not bouncing our way at times, but when we get opportunities we need to make sure we find the back of the net.

“If I can bring somebody in to improve the team then I will, but we have played some really solid hockey over the last couple of weeks and just haven’t got the results.”

This weekend is a big one for the Bison as they face three of the other sides expected to challenge for honours this season over the space of just four days.

This afternoon, they face a trip to play Swindon Wildcats (4pm), a team who have won their last nine games in all competitions, while runaway leaders Telford Tigers visit the Basingstoke Arena on Saturday (6.30pm).

A trip to defending champions Manchester Phoenix on Sunday (5.30pm) completes a really tough new year programme for the |Herd.

Sheppard said: “Our next three games are against three of the top sides in the league, so it’s not getting any easier, but we just have to find a way to win.

“There’s not much between second and seventh at the moment, so any team that gets on a hot streak could really shoot up the table.

“Swindon are the in-form team and have tremendous firepower, while Telford are top because they have great depth and a really complete team.

“Manchester are the defending champions, and I always expected them to turn things around. We have not won up there in a long time, so it will be another tough challenge.”