New Barons signing Tom Parker has expressed his ‘delight’ at joining the club and can’t wait to ice in his second match against Coventry ENL Blaze on Sunday.

Parker made an impressive debut in the captivating 3-3 draw with Billingham Stars a fortnight ago, and now he is raring to go again in front of a roaring home crowd in part two of the A45 derby.

“I’m definitely excited about it.” He said.

“I’ve played for Coventry and Solihull in the past. I’ve played for Coventry against Solihull and for Solihull against Coventry so I know exactly how deep the derby goes.

“So after a great draw in the Billingham game I think our boys will be all fired up, especially with the new depth in the team. Our guys are going to come out all guns blazing and Coventry aren’t going to know what’s hit them.

“We won’t be losing 9-2 again, we won’t let it happen. All we’ve got to do is concentrate on bringing it at our home rink, putting on a show for our fans and making sure that people see that we are capable of doing it at this level.”

After stints in the EPL and a lengthy spell out of the game, Parker has re-joined the Barons, and the uncompromising defensemen has revealed that he is thrilled about his homecoming after growing up in a Barons jersey.

“To come back to my home team is great, I’m delighted. I played here for the juniors and then in the seniors, so it’s just like coming home.

“I know all the boys and I know the coach. I played for Daz at junior level, so it’s just like stepping back into my family.

“It’s pleasing. It’s an opportunity that I’m thankful for and hopefully I can help bring some success to the team and stay in the league.”

Parker’s impressive performance against the Stars didn’t go unnoticed by the Barons faithful and he has revealed that the key factor to his lightening start is how quickly he has been able to settle in and how welcomed he has been made to feel. And now he wants to repay his teammates, and the fans, by leading the club to success.

He added: “I’ve settled really well, they’re all welcoming lads. They’re not scared of the challenge or competition. I think they’re in the position where they want to starting winning and welcome anyone who can help them.

“These guys are hungry. All we have to do is bring it out every weekend and hopefully I’ll add a bit of confidence and inspiration to some of the younger lads so that we can start winning a bit more.

“I’ve had two seasons out now so it’s nice to get back on the ice and do a bit of skating, so when Daz gave me the opportunity to get back on the ice and play, it was just something I jumped at because it’s something It’s just something I’ve missed at the weekends. It’s a nice bit of energy release for me.”

“We’re always trying to bring more families down here and especially getting the kids down here. We love interacting with the kids after the match, signing autographs and having pictures with them, it’s all part of building up the profile of the club and the sport.

“I urge everyone to come down, especially for a game as big as Coventry - it will be nice to see everybody. There are some faces that aren’t here anymore, so if they want to come down and have a chat, come in the bar and have a drink and watch a good game of hockey then that would be great.”