JOHN TRIPP admitted that his team did not live up to expectations after Braehead Clan failed to make the EIHL play-offs and as a result, he has parted ways with the Glasgow club.

Tripp was only appointed head coach in May of last year following a sting at German DEL2 outfit Eispiraten Crimmitshau but a season of inconsistent results saw the Clan ultimately finish in ninth place in the league, one point below Coventry Blaze who grabbed the final play-off place.

Following the announcement of his departure, Tripp admitted his disappointment at how the past year has panned out. “It’s been a tough season - I didn’t get the job done that I had planned out and the season didn’t end how we wanted it to,” he said.

“I had a feeling it was going to be tight when we lost to Dundee and Coventry at home about a month ago.

“In December, we had some injuries and it took us a while to get back then we finally started to get our form back.

“I always believed that if you gave me any team, I could make them better and I know that made these guys better but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to meet the expectations.”

Braehead went into the final two games of the season in eighth place in the EIHL but a brace of defeats to Nottingham Panthers and Guilford Flames at the weekend allowed Coventry to leapfrog them and grab the final play-off spot. But the club’s predicament cannot, believes Tripp, be blamed entirely on those two final losses despite the fact that had the Glasgow side won one of those games, they would now be preparing to take on Cardiff Devils in the play-offs.

“You can’t blame it all on the final two games - people will look at that last weekend but you have to look at the entire season as a whole,” he said.

“The numbers don’t lie and we just didn’t get what we wanted.

We played well in the last month but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. We played well in Guilford and we out-shot them but we just couldn’t put the puck in the net.”

Braehead were plagued by injuries throughout the season and it was this, believes Tripp, that contributed greatly to their struggle.

“In November, we were excellent and we didn’t lose a league game but with not having enough players and getting some injuries, we were even more short and we got burnt out,” he said.

“It’s tough because we had guys putting their bodies on the line, quite literally. We had Scofield blocking a shot and breaking his hand. I felt like the guys played the best they could as they nearer the end of their stretch so I can’t complain about that but all in all, it wasn’t a positive season.”

Tripp admitted that while being fired is never a nice experience, he will leave Glasgow with many fond memories of his time here. “It’s not a good feeling but it’s part of the game,” he said.

“Most coaches get fired at some point and there’s nothing you can do about it. So unfortunately, I just need to look forward now and move on to the next chapter of my life.

I’ve really enjoyed my time here and my family have enjoyed it too – my kids even picked up a bit of a Scottish accent. It was a great experience and I’d never take it away.”