HEAD coach Paul James has labelled Worcester Wolves’ trip to Manchester Giants tomorrow as a “must-win” game for his side (5pm).

Wolves have made a slow start to their British Basketball League campaign but James insists they aren’t there just to “make up the numbers”.

“Our start hasn’t been the greatest but it’s still fairly early days and it’s something we need to address right now because we have a lot to play for,” he said.

“We are not a team where we want to make up the numbers — we want to be challenging.

“The players are talented and the coaches have to find a way of getting the right people on the court at the right time and working out the formulas.

“I am not making any excuses. I thought we were excellent in pre-season and we just need to tweak one or two things to get back to where we were.”

Wolves, due to host Newcastle Eagles last night, crashed to a 102-79 defeat at Cheshire Phoenix in their last away trip seven days ago.

Despite the quick turnaround, James says his charges must be fully focused on Giants to pick up a crucial away win.

“Manchester probably haven’t had the best of starts but it’s going to be another tough game and, in my mind, it’s a must-win for us,” said James.

“We did very well against them last year but they have made a few changes to their roster and are trying to find their way as well.

“They are going through a rebuild but are competitive.

“You can’t relax against any team this season because each one is tough and we have to go to Manchester and put in a good performance.”