A YEAR after joining Swindon Wildcats from Telford Tigers, Phil Hill says he has seen a change in mentality at the Link Centre.

The Welshman signed for the club as a reaction to news that player-coach Aaron Nell would be ruled out of the second half of the 2016-17 season with a dislocated shoulder.

However, the experienced forward extended his stay in Swindon over the summer and says the club have different aims to when he joined 12 months ago.

The 35-year-old believes the club have transformed to a team with a winning mentality, saying: “It’s been great at the club. I’ve spoken before about how professionally it is run and since I’ve been here, they have just kept improving.

“There has definitely been a switch since I have been here, from a team who wanted to compete and play entertaining hockey, to a team who want to win every competition they’re in.

“I think it is good to play with the pressure and expectations, I have played on teams before where the expectation is to win every game you play in.

“We are starting to develop that in Swindon and it is good for the young guys who are coming through because it builds consistency - they have to show up every game.”

The Wildcats had a mixed last weekend, with a thumping win at home to Invicta Dynamos in NIHL South One on Saturday before a late defeat at Telford in the NIHL Cup a day later.

After this weekend’s league fixtures with Cardiff Fire and Invicta Dynamos, the Link Centre side don’t return to action until they travel to Peterborough Phantoms on December 23, leaving Hill to highlight the importance of picking up four points this weekend.

“Last Sunday was a game where we had put ourselves in a good position,” he added.

“We want to try and win every game. Hopefully that defeat stings, it does with me and we have a chance on Saturday and Sunday to get four points.

“We don’t want to be dropping points against teams who we are expected to be beating. Our rink has to become a fortress.”