Swindon Wildcats’ boss Aaron Nell says his team can fight their way back into EPL play-off contention starting at home to MK Lightning on Wednesday.
The Wildcats have won just one of their three group round games, but Nell believes they can still qualify for the final weekend at Coventry.
“It’s a huge night – we have three massive games this week and it starts tonight,” Nell told the Swindon Advertiser.
“We have to win all three games, but it is still in our hands. It’s crunch time – we are still in it. Obviously it is going to be tough, but that is what it’s meant to be.
“We have beaten Milton Keynes twice this season so we know we can do it. It’s not an impossible task, but it is definitely going to be a very tough one.
“If we play like we can, we have the ability to beat anyone.”
Telford Tigers visit Guildford looking for revenge after the Flames’ 3-0 success in Shropshire last week.
The Tigers bounced back with two victories over the weekend, but captain Jason Silverthorn is wary of threat posed by the reigning play-off champions.
He said: “Guildford have had a disappointing season, by their own standards, but when it comes to the play-offs, it is anyone’s game. You show up for six games, play the right way and anything can happen.
“They came in here last week, played a good game and turned us over, but that didn’t surprise us. We knew they were a good team coming through and when you have that extra incentive in the play-offs, it’s all to play for.
“It is more of a sprint. If teams catch fire and play the right way over a shorter time, they can get into the final four-weekend and anything can happen.
“Guildford came out and played the way we thought they would all year long, so we’re prepared for that and we’ll be ready to go.”
Jason Hewitt says Hull Pirates’ inexperience has counted against them in this season’s play-offs.
The Pirates are yet to pick up a point heading into Wednesday’s home game against Basingstoke Bison, but Hewitt has urged his players to stay positive.
“I’ve been in very good teams where we have had good leaders – we have a young team and are quite inexperienced in play-off situations so it’s a huge learning curve for them,” Hewitt told the Hull Daily Mail.
“It’s a case of staying positive and keep believing we can compete with these teams, but I think sometimes maybe it just takes that one person to take the bull by the horns and lead the way and older guys have to do that in these games.”
WEDNESDAY FIXTURES
Guildford Flames v Telford Tigers
Swindon Wildcats v MK Lightning
Sheffield Steeldogs v Peterborough Phantoms
Hull Pirates v Basingstoke Bison
(Image permission: Tony Sargent)
