SWINDON Wildcats player-coach Aaron Nell praised the character of his team after they completed a 5-3 victory over Manchester Phoenix tonight.

Goals from Nell, Matt Selby and Jonas Höög gave Swindon a 3-1 lead in the second period, after Stanislav Gron scored for the visitors.

Strikes from Robin Kovar and Michal Satek either side of the second break had Phoenix back level for a second time in the contest and Nell feared his side may collapse on the back of a 5-0 defeat at Deeside.

However, his side dug deep and Thomasz Malasinski and Jan Kostal ensured that Swindon secured the two points and gave the home fans something to cheer about.

"We played well tonight," said Nell.

"Their goalie was unbelievable. We had 48 shots tonight I think and 15 or 20 of them were really top, top chances.

"We played hard and it wasn't quite coming off in the first two periods and then they came back and scored two good goals and a lucky one.

"We could have collapsed, but we showed great character to come back and scored two great goals at the end and it was exciting.

"The fans need some excitement.

“It has been a bit flat after Christmas and that is our fault because it we haven’t been good enough and this is something we can build on now.

“We had to keep on going because eventually we are going to score. You have to do the little things we were doing to get the chances.

“We made a couple of little mistakes but that is going to happen, but we were good.

“In another game it could have been a completely different scoreline.”

Nell was full of praise for Swedish forward Höög, who picked up four points on the night, and knows the 29-year-old is pivotal to his teams’ success.

“We have got to keep level headed and get better every single night,” he added.

“Even when you think you are giving your all you just have to give that little bit more and, if you do that, you are going to be successful.

“I think Höögy was great tonight. Höögy didn’t have his best game on Sunday and you always know that, if Höögy has a bad game, he is always going to come out flying the next game and he did.

“People breed off it because Höögy is very likeable and they respect Höögy and when he plays like that he drags people with him.

“It hasn’t been through a lack of trying that we have been in a bit of a flunk and we have got to pull together.

“If we all give that extra one, two or five per cent then we are going to get better.”