SWINDON Wildcats player-coach Aaron Nell says he has made this year’s aspirations crystal clear to his players as they open their National League South campaign this weekend.

The Cats host Milton Keynes Thunder at the Link Centre in the first game of the season on Saturday, before making the trip to Kent a day later to tackle Invicta Dynamos.

The club has seen a reshuffle in the league structure going into the season, and following that, Nell has set his sights firmly on claiming silverware. “We’ve got two tough games and we need to win them, that is the mentality, we need to finish the weekend with four points,” he said.

“This season is a lot more black and white. In the past we had teams with bigger budgets and more experienced players than us.

“It was a bit grey, we wanted to compete and win the league but we knew it would be very tough to do that.

“Now it is a lot more black and white, we have something to aim at which is very real right from the start of the year.”

Following two double headers with in pre-season with Bracknell Bees and Peterborough Phantoms, Nell is happy with the preparation but says there is nothing like competitive action.

The Wildcats chief also wants to see his troops come flying out of the blocks, to get as many points as possible in the opening weekend.

“Pre-season was great but there is always a little bit extra when you are playing for real, where there are two points on the line,” he added. “It’s hugely important we start well in the league, the cup and each game. In the first periods, especially at home, we need to come out flying.

“Obviously the results didn’t go our way in pre-season, but there have been positives – all the new guys have settled in well.

“Traditionally we don’t start the season very well and that has got to stop this year.” While they may not have faced Milton Keynes Thunder before, Nell is more than aware of what his side will come up against at the Link Centre.

“They’re a new team for us but I know a few of their players,” he said.

“They will be very difficult to play against. They are well coached and will be tough for us to break down.

“They’ll come and try to upset us, the pressure us on for us to get a result and we can’t let them spoil that.”