Manchester Magic coach Paul Middleton has told his young to team to believe that they can win the EBL3 title.

Club chiefs set the team the target after dropping down to the third tier in the summer.

Magic - who host Leeds at the Amaechi Centre on Saturday night (6pm) - start the second half of the season in pole position, top of the table level on points with three other teams.

Now Middleton is demanding his side - made up largely of players from the club's under-18s ranks - finish the job.

He knows promotion to EBL2 isn't a forgone conclusion, with Magic facing more road trips than home games in the second leg of the campaign, but said: "We are sticking by our target.

"We know it won't be easy with so many away games coming up, but I have told the players that they have to believe they can do it.

"We know we can beat every team in this division. Now we have to show it - and mostly away from home.

"The first half of the season went pretty well - we lost a couple of games, but we are top and I am really pleased with how things have gone so far."

Magic return from the Christmas break with a fully fit squad, with the team's under-18s players having competed - and finished runners-up - in the club's annual Haris Memorial Tournamnent.

"They made a slow start but improved and (coach) Richard Hill was really pleased with them for running the German team, who had a few really special players, so close in the final.

"It should stand them in good stead going back into the senior team.

"Leeds are a bit of an unknown quantity for us, but we deal with whatever they throw at us."

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