Nell: It Shouldn't Have Been As Close As That

Swindon Wildcats' head coach Aaron Nell admitted to Total Sport that his side should have performed much better, despite picking up a 3-1 win at home to Hull Pirates.

With the Pirates struggling for league form and being without two of their key players, Nell felt the pressure the visitors put on his side should not have been allowed to happen.

"We weren't quite good enough tonight. It's a game where again we relied on Stevie (Lyle) being really good, and our imports - quite often Tomasz (Malasinski) - having exceptional games, and that shouldn't be the case in a game like tonight," Nell began.

"They (Hull) were missing their two best players, and for us to only win like that, and for it to be tight, is not acceptable if we want to be as good as we want to be, and think we are," he added.

The head coach attributed a slow start to the reasoning behind why his side never really got into their full stride.

"The first period we were in first gear, and Stevie Lyle had 36 shots at him tonight against a team who is inexperienced and missing two key players. We shouldn't be taking that many shots at home on a night like tonight, it's not good enough," said Nell.

When asked about what words of wisdom he had for his troops during the period intervals, Nell simply replied: "To wake up. We got the win and we did get better as the game went on, but we still need to be better."

Wildcats have plenty of experienced heads within their roster, and this is something Nell believes the side need to utilise if they are to reach their full potential.

"People have to watch the top guys, the older guys. They've been playing for so long for a reason - Stevie (Lyle), Lidds (Neil Liddiard, Tomasz (Malasinski), Jan (Kostal) and Carlo (Finucci), they're our top guys because they bring it most nights," he said.

"Tonight we should have won by five, six or seven goals. They (Hull) played well and fair play to them, because they worked and worked - but we should be beating that team by a lot more goals," Nell added.

Special praise was reserved however for star man Tomasz Malasinski, whose hat-trick meant the Pirates were destined for defeat.

Heaping praise on his Polish international, Nell said: "He was excellent. He's a very, very good hockey player and we're very lucky to have him. He scored three unbelievable goals and he's one of the top two or three players in the league.

"His biggest thing is his work ethic, he never quits on a puck. He's always ready to get a puck and just goes and goes and goes, he's got a great engine. We can all learn from him," Nell added.

The decisions of the officals bore impact during certain parts of Saturday night's game, with one instance seeing Jan Kostal  receive a penalty for high sticks.

Commenting upon this, Nell said: "the high sticks decision) was a bit harsh on Janny (Kostal) but that is the way it is."

D-man Neil Liddiard was also on the wrong end of the referee's decisions, as he recieved a 10 minute penalty for misconduct - something which Nell believes was perhaps over exaggerated by the opposition.

"I think the Hull player sold it a little bit, he went down quite easy and that was Liddiard's frustration. By the letter of the law yeah it might have been a penalty, but he did go down very easily," said Nell.

Swindon Wildcats now travel to Deeside on Sunday evening, as they prepare to face Manchester Phoenix and seize the opportunity of a four point weekend.