MORE than two decades have passed since the last time Murrayfield Racers ice hockey team appeared in the top flight of the British ice hockey league, they are on the verge of a dramatic return to top-flight action.

Edinburgh Capitals currently hold the rights to the franchise for the EIHL but Murrayfield Racers have put in an audacious bid to become Edinburgh’s professional ice-hockey team.

Racers are former British champions and have been taken over by a board which includes David Hand, who is the current chairman of the Scottish Ice Hockey Association and his brother, legend of the sport, Tony Hand.

With Racers securing the ice-time at the Murrayfield rink, it appears that time is up for Edinburgh Capitals as a top-flight club. They finished in bottom place of last season’s EIHL and former ice-hockey professional and GB Hall of Famer Derek Reilly believes that a new club in the city might be the best thing that could happen for the sport, although he is quick to point out how sad it is to see the demise or Edinburgh Capitals, who are owned by former player, Scott Neil.

“I think that going forward, this will probably be the best thing to happen,” Reilly told Herald Sport.

“I think that looking to the future, the best thing is to start with a blank slate.

“It’s very sad for this to happen to Edinburgh though - I felt that having a team called Edinburgh Capitals was great for the city, I loved the name. I feel very sorry for Scotty - I played with him for a long time and he’s put a lot of effort into the club so he must be gutted.”

Reilly spent his entire playing career with Murrayfield Racers but he now commentates for Edinburgh Capitals’ broadcast channel and so knows the background of both clubs well. And with the Capitals poor performance last season, in which they won only five games of 56, Reilly believes that a new set-up coming in could rejuvenate the sport in Edinburgh.

“Edinburgh hasn’t been badly run but it’s stuttered along and the season that’s just finished, they really didn’t do well,” he said.

“So for the season ticket holders and the public in general, I think this is a good move and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen.

“I think the final nail in the coffin was last season. I know a lot of the season ticket holders and they were asking when thislevel of performance was going to stop.”

That the Hand brothers are associated with the Racers is,believes Reilly, hugely significant and the former internationalist’s experience will, he hopes, stand him in good stead over the coming season

“I think the fans will get right behind the Hands,” he said.

“It’s important that they’re well-known figures. Scott (Neil) was a good player but everybody knows Tony Hand. He’s the best British player I’ve ever seen without a doubt and I think this is a really good challenge for him. He’s been a coach before at Dundee and that didn’t go down too well but with him being back in his home town, maybe that will make a difference.

Things are not quite set in stone yet with the team getting in the league but I’m looking forward to next season.”

With the strength-in-depth of the EIHL making it difficult for even established teams to make a mark at the top of the league, the Racers have a tough task in making their presence felt when the season starts in September. And while Reilly is confident about the Racers potential, he is under no illusions that the management will have to provide adequate support to ensure top quality players are recruited.

“The league is very strong and Tony is going to have to use his name to get some players in really quickly,” said Reilly.

“If the team gets off to a bad start, the fans will be saying that this is just the same old story. So they’ve got to spend some money to get some good players and then take it from there.

“They need to get the ex-Racers fans on board and also the Caps fans. That’s not going to be easy but with the name of Tony and the right backers, I’m pretty confident that the Racers will rekindle themselves.”