Swindon Wildcats have announced the appointment of Ryan Aldridge as their new coach, following last week's departure of Peter Russell.

Aldridge joined the Wildcats in October following on from his spell at the Basingstoke Bison and comes with an extremely impressive coaching record.

Aldridge takes over as the Wildcats sit in fourth place of the English Premier League, following a strong but inconsistent start to the 2008/2009 season.

The Wildcats will look to build on the performances that they have shown against Peterborough and Bracknell this year and the club are confident that they can do that with Aldridge in charge.

Club general manager Steve Nell details his delight in announcing Aldridge as the new coach.

"We have elected to go for a player / coach option this time round rather than just a coach and we are extremely pleased to announce that Ryan will be taking the role as he has a proven track record at this level," he said.

"Ryan took the Bees (Bracknell) to the double in the 2006/2007 season and I feel that there is no better person to take over.

"We have been very good in patches this season and by having Ryan at the helm I feel that we can capitalise on these performances, be more consistent, and help move the club forward to where we want to be."

Aldridge has had previous spells with the Bracknell Bees where he took them to the league and cup double in 2006/2007.

He then moved on to Elite League outfit Basingstoke Bison for the 2007/2008 season and was there until October of the 2008/2009 season before re-joining the Wildcats as a player.

"I am really pleased to have been given this opportunity to become coach of the Swindon Wildcats and over the next few weeks I will be aiming to put my influence on the team," said Aldridge.

"I feel that although sometimes we struggle against the bigger and more experienced teams, on our day we are a match for anybody and I will ensure that everyone is 100% focused to gain a play off spot come the end of the season."

Ryan's first game in charge will be on Saturday 6th December when the Wildcats face the tough battling Sheffield Scimitars.

The game will commence at 5.45pm and you can book tickets now for the game by calling 01793 445566 or online via www.swindonwildcats.com