DEESIDE DRAGONS player-coach Marc Lovell has targeted a rare maximum points return from his side’s final fixtures of 2018.

The Flintshire club have struggled for form since their relegation to the Laidler Conference last season, with eight wins and 10 losses from their league games to date.

A lack of consistency has blighted the Dragons with Gary Shaw’s side registering successive victories in a weekend double-header only once

in five attempts this term.

Lovell said: “Building on a positive result is something we’ve really struggled with this season.

“I think we saw that in the Coventry games last weekend, where we’ve gone to their place and beaten them and then been turned over by them the next day.

“Performances have generally been pretty good this season, but that’s not fully reflected in our form, which has been patchy.

“We really should have won more of our home games than we have done.

“There have been a lot of dropped points from winning positions in games we should have won too, which is really frustrating.

“We’ve talked a lot this season about defensive lapses and mistakes that have crept into our play at times.

“That’s not us as coaches putting all the blame on individual defenders.

“It’s a collective effort, because we defend as a team - everyone on the ice is responsible and needs to be held accountable.

“Working hard in training on improving the understanding between all of the players and their specific roles will be help us cut out the mistakes that are costing us.”

Saturday's trip to basement club Blackburn Hawks seconds precedes a home clash with Hull Jets on Sunday, before a three-week break in the fixture list.

Blackburn have struggled badly this season, losing all of their 16 league games and conceding 212 times in that time.

The Dragons have recorded emphatic wins in their two prior meetings with the Lancashire side this term, following up September’s 13-6 away success with a 17-1 home drubbing the following month.

In contrast to the Hawks’ abysmal form, the Jets looked set to mount a title challenge when they enjoyed a five-game winning streak earlier in the season.

But their form has since dwindled, and successive defeats to league leaders Widnes Wild last weekend has left them just above the Dragons in fifth.

The Jets beat the Dragons 5-3 at home in September, before the Flintshire club exacted revenge with a 5-2 win in Kingston last month.

And with his players now well acquainted with both opponents, Lovell is keen to finish 2018 with a flourish to revive their dwindling promotion hopes.

He said: “We had hoped to be heading into these games after beating Coventry twice last weekend, but it wasn’t to be.

“Blackburn’s record looks really poor and everyone would expect us go there and turn them over easily.

“But they’ve improved recently and with a new netminder there, they’ll be looking to tighten up defensively.

“We can’t afford to underestimate them at all, but we’re looking for a confidence-boosting win to take into the Hull game.

“There really wasn’t much between us in the last games between us, so it feels like a game that could go either way."

Meanwhile, in-form Telford Tigers will stalk a third successive league win in their trip to Blackburn.