AARON Nell is hoping that Swindon Wildcats can go into this weekend’s double-header full of confidence.

The Link Centre side are facing tough games against new EPL leaders Manchester Phoenix tomorrow at home before making the journey to fellow play-off hopefuls Bracknell Bees.

Cats head into these matches on the back of a fine 5-2 victory over then table-toppers Basingstoke Bison and a 3-0 success over bogey side Milton Keynes Lightning.

And Nell is hopeful that Swindon can maintain this kind of form as the play-offs loom at the end of the month.

He said: “It was a great weekend, we struggled at the start of the game against Basingstoke.

“But from the second period of that match we played very well against two very good teams.

“They are two sides who have got a lot experience and they are sides that we normally struggle against so that was two solid wins.”

One thing that has been a concern for Cats this term is that they have struggled for consistency on the road.

Prior to that double success, they headed to Hampshire on the back of three away defeats.

And while that is of worry to Nell, the Great Britain international knows just how hard this campaign has been.

“It is a tougher league than it was last year,” the former Coventry Blaze star said.

“You have to try and make sure you win at home and win at least 50 per cent of the games on the road.

“We have struggled the last month away, but it was good to get two very good wins.”

Nell also paid tribute to his Great Britain and Cats teammate Stevie Lyle as he has been the cornerstone of any success that Swindon have had.

Lyle’s performance at Lightning deservedly earned him the man-of-the-match award and Nell feels that the netminder has been shining all term.

“He’s very, very good,” Nell said. “The last month we haven’t played as well as we would have liked, but Stevie has been saving us.

“He saved us at Basingstoke and he saved us at Milton Keynes. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think that we would have had a four-point weekend.”

With just five games of the regular campaign remaining, Nell says that spirits are good in the Cats camp.

“It has been good, we get along really well,” he added. “If we play like we did last weekend this weekend, with Stevie in goal, we are very tough to play against.

“We will just keep going on how we did the last weekend and we will be fine.”