AARON Nell didn’t believe that the scoreline reflected the effort shown by his players as they fell to a 5-0 defeat away to Basingstoke Bison – a team the Swindon Wildcats player-coach has tipped for the English Premier League title - tonight.

Swindon, without Stevie Lyle, Tomasz Malasinski and Matt Selby, were able to hold the league leaders until the 25th minute, but a brace from Alan Lack helped the hosts to a comfortable win.

Further goals from René Jarolin, Tomas Karpov and Ciaran Long completed the lop-sided scoreline but Nell thought his side were worth more than that.

“It was tough and I don’t think it was quite a five-nothing game,” he said.

“We did some good things but we had two or three bad shifts in the second period where they went up 2-0.

“In the first period we were great and it was going to plan.

“I had a big chance at the end of the first and we had a couple of other good chances which we just needed to take.

“After their first goal we panicked a bit.

“We are missing the two best players in the league and Basingstoke are something like 20 and two at home and they are a very good hockey team.

Basingstoke are going to win the league and that is why they have only lost two games at home all year.

“5-0 looks like we got a spanking, but it wasn’t a blow out and we have got to take the positives.

“Jordan (Hedley, netminder) was really good. I challenged him to do a couple of little things out of his comfort zone and he managed to do that.

“This is a very good weekend for him to get some game time and build some confidence.”

Swindon must now turn their attentions immediately to a trip to Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday night but Nell does not believe last night’s showing would have taken too much out of his team.

“We have got to build and work harder and turn up tomorrow night and try and turn Milton Keynes over,” he added.

“I am sure they will expect to have it a bit easy but we have got to work 100 per cent and stick together.

“It was part of the game plan and that system you can save your legs a little bit and Basingstoke were getting frustrated by it.

“We will get chances and when we get those chances we have really got to take them and hopefully we can get two big points tomorrow.”