AARON Nell wants Swindon Wildcats to prove they are no flash in the pan and beat English Premier League champions Telford Tigers for a third time this season tonight.

The Cats triumphed 3-0 at the Link Centre when the two sides last met in mid-October, and have one win and one defeat from two away fixtures at Telford so far in 2015-16.

Despite Swindon’s strong record against the Tigers, Cats player/coach Nell reckons they are still the benchmark side in the division and are even more formidable since the return of former Great Britain captain Jonathan Weaver from injury.

“They are a very good side. They had a wobble at the start of the season and are now back to their best,” said forward Nell, ahead of the meeting at the Link Centre.

“They are the best team in the league right now and they have just got their best player back too in Jonathan Weaver.

“They are just consistent and work very hard. They just keep going and are tough to break down.

“We have been good against them in the past but this is the first time we have played them since they have had Weaver back.

“They will be a different prospect this time and we need to prove those other wins were no fluke.

“Saturday is a massive game, it’s one of the biggest games of the season so far. We have done well when we have come up against them in the past so we have to try to match that if we can.

“We are ready for them. It’s going to be a great game and a great atmosphere.”

The following day, the Cats face their longest away day of the season when they take on a 450-mile round trip to face Hull Pirates.

Swindon clinched a hard-fought overtime success against the league newcomers at the Hull Arena last month and Nell is expecting a similarly edgy encounter on Sunday.

“If we can win on Saturday – and then follow it up by getting a four-point weekend at Hull – it will be huge for us moving towards Christmas,” said Nell.

“The best thing to do to prepare for Sunday is to play well on Saturday. It’s a long trip but going up on the back of a win makes things much easier. You can take that confidence and momentum into the game and it stands you in much better stead.

“Hull are quite an inexperienced team but they work hard and are organised. Any team that is organised is difficult to beat.

“We’ve had one tough game up there against them already and they have improved a lot as the season has gone on. They have got nothing to lose and that makes them dangerous.”