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Joel Osborne writes

Posted Friday, March 23rd 2018 @BristolSportJO

It’s business as usual - Burns

Friday, March 23rd 2018

Nick Burns insists the absence of Coach Kapoulas will not effect Bristol Flyers’ preparations for Cheshire Phoenix on Saturday night (7.30pm).

Burns has been placed in temporary charge of the first team alongside academy coaches Chris Bourne and Ieuan Alex-Jones following Andreas Kapoulas’ departure to lead England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The interim boss will take charge for the next four games, which sees Flyers face Sheffield Sharks, Manchester Giants and two crucial games against Cheshire Phoenix.

"To be honest it's all about focusing on Cheshire at the moment,” Burns told Bristol Flyers TV.

"If we get the win at the weekend then we have the tiebreak on them, so its like a game and a half really.

“I think it’s a must-win game for Cheshire and that makes them particularly dangerous, because we know they’ve won the BBL Cup already this season - they’re as good, if not better than anybody in one-off games.

“All the teams we’re playing will also be a man down too, Orlan Jackman won’t be there for Cheshire, Mike Tuck’s not going to be with Sheffield and Callum Jones won’t be there when we play Manchester, so it’s going to come down to how the guys who gain a few more minutes respond."

"We’ve had a couple of bad results recently and ever since we walked off the court against Newcastle, the focus has been on what’s coming up and whether Andreas is here or not doesn’t really change anything.”

Nick Burns

Kapoulas has only missed two games during his 13-year tenure as Flyers head coach, but Burns has revealed that the pair will be in constant contact despite the ten-hour time difference.

"I’m actually expecting my first text message from him at the moment asking how things are going, which is typical of Andreas,” Burns added.

"He’ll want to know exactly what’s going on and he'll be following things very closely.

"Andreas and I have always have very similar views on how the game should be played - we’re both very passionate and I think he finds it a bit more difficult to control his passion than I do, but in terms of our values, I don’t think there’s an awful lot of difference."

Limited standing and courtside tickets are still available for Saturday’s game giants Cheshire Phoenix at the SGS WISE Arena.

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