Ama Agbeze urges Loughborough Lightning to prove themselves as title contenders
Saturday 20 February 2016 15:22, UK
Ama Agbeze hopes Loughborough Lightning can prove themselves as genuine title contenders with a win over Vitality Superleague leaders Manchester Thunder.
The Lightning sit in third place in the Superleague table, just three points adrift of Thunder, ahead of Monday night's match at Loughborough University, live on Sky Sports.
Loughborough's Agbeze admits her side laboured to a 58-53 win over Celtic Dragons at the weekend, but believes they can send out a statement with a win over table-toppers.
"To win on Saturday was good, but the way we played - we didn't play to our potential - and we made a lot of errors," the England international told Sky Sports.
"They were quite basic errors, like ball handling errors, or decision making errors and so we won just, luckily, but I would say we're a long way off playing how I know how we have played some times in training and practice matches.
We definitely need to raise our game, because Thunder are on fire from what I've seen and heard
"It's our home game, so hopefully we'll have good support, but we definitely need to raise our game, because Thunder are on fire from what I've seen and heard. Hopefully we can be the team to take them down a little bit.
"If we beat them, people start to put us up there as potential contenders because I think at the moment, people are putting us in fifth place. We personally don't think that is the case, so it will be good if we can beat them and maybe some doubters will start believing in us."
Coach Dan Ryan is yet to suffer a league defeat since he took charge of Manchester and Agebze has revealed that fellow international players have spoken highly of his methods.
"Dan, I've known him from Australia, and he's a very good coach and he's obviously had a significant impact.
"I know some of the England players who are with Manchester tell me they love the sessions, they are excited to got to training.
"I guess he's been a breath of fresh air. He's someone new and different and sometimes that happens."
Watch Loughborough Lightning against Manchester Thunder tonight, from 7.30pm on Sky Sports 2.
