SWINDON Wildcats have brought Michael Stratford back into the fold, with the youngster expected to remain at the Link Centre for the remainder of the season.

Teenage forward Stratford, 19, joined fellow English Premier League outfit Manchester Phoenix on loan in October and has iced 18 times for the North West outfit, racking up two points.

However, Swindon-born Stratford, who has represented Great Britain at U20 level, will be back playing for his hometown club when Cats host the Guildford Flames on New Year’s Eve (face-off 4pm).

Aaron Nell’s side also go to the Bracknell Bees on New Year’s Day (face-off 6pm) and the Link Centre chief hopes that Stratford will add further depth to his roster – the Swindon head coach is currently sidelined for the season, alongside Callum Buglass.

Ollie Stone and Matt Selby are both also currently injured, while Toms Rutkis is nearing a return.

Nell said: “Stratty will be back with us and I think that he’ll be with us for the rest of the season.

“He’s got some good ice-time up in Manchester but he’s been training with us full-time, so we know how he’s been getting on.

“We are short at the moment, so Stratty coming in will help that.

"There are some players that have been getting some good ice time with us recently, and he’ll have a chance like the rest of them.”