Swindon Wildcats coach Aaron Nell says adversity has made team much stronger

Just days before the regular season was due to begin, the Wildcats found themselves homeless when their Link Centre rink was flooded following a torrential storm.

It left them without a home to train or play in, causing severe disruption to their fixture and practice schedule, with some home games having to be played as far away as Bristol, Milton Keynes and Cardiff.

They returned home to Swindon in mid-December, a development that not surprisingly coincided with an upturn in form which eventually saw them finish the regular season in third place.

Now, in their first visit to the play-off finals weekend since 2014, Nell is hoping his players can reward their own efforts by lifting the last piece of silverware on the line.

“It’s obviously been a very different and difficult season, but the way the players have taken everything in their stride has been incredible,” said Wildcats’ player-coach Nell.

“It’s brought our team together like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They are all so close, we’ve been through the wringer.

“The fans, the sponsors have been great but I can’t say enough about the players. Nobody left, nobody quit, now they’ve started talking about it a little bit, the start of the year was really tough on them mentally but they pushed through it.

“I just can’t say enough good things about the players. They want to finish the year right and, hopefully, we can do that.”

In order to achieve the dream ending to a difficult season, they have to first get past Leeds.

“Leeds are the best team, they are the favourites and we know how good they are,” added Nell.

“I was looking at the head-to-head stuff earlier this week and I think the only difference between the two teams is an overtime goal in the first game in Swindon.

“It’s going to be another very, very tight game.”