Scottish hockey coach Russell Garcia admits his side face a tall order to qualify for the 2010 World Cup but believes his side can pull off an upset.

Only one place is up for grabs at the tournament in New Deli with Scotland competing against New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Austria and Wales this Saturday in Invercargill in New Zealand.

And with Scotland heading into those matches as underdogs, Garcia was quick to stress how their attempt to qualify fitted into his long-term plans.

He said: “This team has potential and a determined mindset, they want to push themselves, which is important.

“We need more depth in the squad, more guys competing for those 18 places, so the tournament in Invercargill will give younger players good experience.

“We’ll play to qualify in New Zealand, but we’re emphasising long-term performance targets looking towards the Commonwealth Games

“We also need to make our national league more competitive to ensure players are challenged regularly at their clubs, and to develop strong player pathways from grassroots all the way up to international level.”