DEFENDING can often be a thankless task. It is frequently seen as a chore getting back to prevent the opposition from scoring, rather than having the freedom to move forward and grab the headlines.

That is why we all enjoyed it so much when Callum Buglass popped up with a goal against Bracknell Bees, especially the players.

It can easily go unnoticed how good a player is when he is just doing the same task over and over.

The real basics as a defender would be your positions.

Your main two defenders would be a left D and a right D, but in a sport that is very end-to-end, you will have all five players defending.

You will have three players in the lower positions, who would be the two defenders and usually the centre, and then you would have two players covering the two defenders in what you call a high position.

Then it becomes a case of individual defending, where you will be using your body position to try and keep players on the perimeter of the zone and you are trying to dispossess them ideally.

You are always trying to move the player from the inside to the outside.

That way, you are reducing their space and, if they do take a shot, it is from a poor angle and it is easier for the goalie to make a save.

Often, an attacking team will try and create a two-on-one and how they do that is by trying to remove one of the defenders by blocking them, so you have to talk.

We do have match-ups. Often, Jan Kostal’s line will play against what we consider to be the opposition’s top line, because he is very good in a defensive line.

We also have attacking responsibilities. Often, you have got to look at the right time to make that call on whether to go forward.

We call it pinching, which would be a D-man jumping into the play, and in that case, you need to make a judgement call on whether there is someone covering you and how good the team are in possession.

If we have a puck carrier and then you find yourself in a position where the defender is the second or third-furthest person forward, then it would be a could time to jump in and Callum showed this at the weekend.

When it comes to defending, it is just a case of concentration and if you defend as a team, it can be easy.