SWINDON Wildcats head coach put tonight’s 6-2 defeat at the hands of Guildford Flames down to fatigue and a depleted squad.

The Link Centre side headed into tonight’s game with Ollie Betteridge, Tomasz Malasinski and Stevie Whitfield all on the treatment table, and that was compounded on the night with Shane Moore retiring injured.

Despite ‘one of the best periods of the year’ to start the game and taking the lead in the second period Swindon imploded on themselves and two quick-fire goals from Jeremy Lundin and Daniel Meyers turned the contest around.

Aldridge called a time-out after the second goal but that couldn’t prevent Guildford scoring twice more, through Andrew McKinney and Roman Tvrdon, before the break.

Ill-discipline then cost an already tired Swindon side in the final period as Tomas Kana and Alex Symonds both found themselves in the sin-bin.

The hosts scored two power-play goals, with Lundin scoring his second and Daniel Savge getting on the score-board, to put the contest to bed with Jan Kostal getting no more than a consolation goal with seven minutes remaining.

"I thought that was one of the best periods we have played all year, in the first period," said Aldridge after the match "We scored the goal and literally fell to bits.

"We started cheating in certain areas and stopped picking up our guy in front of the net and we were doing a half-hearted job in certain areas and we fell to bits there is no doubt about that.

"It is a mix-mash of things to be honest with you but most of it is mental and as soon as we scored one it was like, he we go we're going to get a couple.

“They were tired, there was no doubt about that, so in our power plays the guys, who have had too much ice, have got to go back into the power-play and it suffers.

“We have four guys injured right now so what can you do.

“It is a tough building to come to and it is big ice and we are not used to the big ice.

“I think tiredness played a part tonight but it is mental weaknesses and we just didn’t play for 60 minutes.”

Swindon now have to pick themselves up for another tough test on the road at Peterborough Phantoms tomorrow night.

Aldridge expects Malasinski, Betteridge and Moore to all miss out, with Whitfield facing a late fitness test, but hopes to not have to make excuses again come the end of the match.

“Richardson is back there and Kostal is playing a bit of defence tonight but the boys are tired,” he added.

“Whitfield had an injury he didn’t feel safe playing with and Moore maybe shouldn’t have played and wanted to try it but he thought that was enough.

“Moore is probably very doubtful but Whitfield is how he feels tomorrow, depending on himself and the others will be out.

“The physio said he (Malasinski) should be ready for next weekend if he gets enough treatment in the week.

“It is a tough building to go to and it is a horrible journey but what can you say we have got to put tonight behind us, but it is sounding a bit like a broken record in recent weeks.

“It’s tough to keep saying it but it is a reality.”