Leeds Knights can use Swindon Wildcats' NIHL National league title party as fuel to bounce back
LEEDS KNIGHTS head down to Swindon Wildcats today where, for a fourth year running, they will be in the building on the night when the NIHL National league championship trophy is presented.
The major difference this year, of course, is that it will not be Leeds parading around the rink celebrating.
Instead they must watch on as the hosts celebrate their first major trophy in front of their own fans.
The party atmosphere will truly kick in after the final buzzer when player-coach Aaron Nell and his players enjoy their moment in the spotlight.
And while it may be hard for the Knights’ players to watch, head coach Ryan Aldridge hopes it will fuel the hunger for them to come back next year and reclaim a title they have made their own for the last three seasons.
“Yeah, it will be (a strange feeling) to see another team lift that trophy, but I think it is good to see that,” said Aldridge, whose main focus remains the second leg of the National Cup final against Sheffield Steeldogs which concludes on Wednesday night.
“You don’t want to see another team lift the trophy, but I suppose if there was a team other than us that I would like to lift it, then it would be them (Swindon).
“But I also think it will be good for the boys to feel what it is like to be on the other side of the fence for once.
“They can see the other team’s celebrations, see how it feels and that should help feed the hunger more for them to come back harder next year.”
Swindon sealed the title with six games to spare after a come-from-behind 3-2 win in overtime at Sheffield Steeldogs last Saturday.
Fourth-placed Knights now find themselves in four-way battle to finish runners-up with the Steeldogs, the team currently sat second, Hull Seahawks and Peterborough Phantoms, although Aldridge has already made it clear the final league position will matter little when it comes to the play-off group stages.