SWINDON Storm coach Rich Van Slotan believes working with a smaller squad this season will prove no downfall for his men as they prepare to face Hertfordshire Cheetahs at home on Sunday (2.30pm).

Storm crashed to a disappointing 20-0 defeat at Portsmouth a fortnight ago, meaning they made a losing start to their British American Football Association Division Two campaign.

But Van Slotan believes the score from their game in Hampshire failed to reflect Storm’s ability, insisting his men have more to offer.

He said: “It was a very close game, it was one of those things.

“We had the same amount of zone time as them, but they converted better.

“For our first game there’s always going to be a bit of rust.

“We made some silly mistakes, which you’re always going to have.

“There are positives.

“We want to be competitive this season. There’s a lot of talk about us doing things, but I want to take every game as it comes.”

Storm will be missing several key players for tomorrow’s game against Hertfordshire, but Van Slotan adds belief in the camp is still strong amid the club’s injury struggles.

“We’ve got a couple of key injuries, but you get that with every team,” said Van Slotan.

“It’s about how the team rallies around. It’s a team effort.

“We have a few players that missed the Portsmouth game returning, it should be good.

“As long as we get the fundamentals right, it will be a closer game than what people give us credit for.

“The core and belief is still there, I’m looking forward to another year with them.

“Once they get going I think we’ll come along alright.”

Van Slotan hopes a win at home can inspire more people to take in a game of American Football as Storm looked to build on the foundations set last season.

He said: “Last year we had phenomenal crowds, that’s because everyone likes to cheer on winning teams.

“And if you get a good crowd behind you it makes a big difference.”