AARON Nell believes his Swindon Wildcats side are back where they should be after a win at Manchester Phoenix secured a second successive four-point weekend.

Braces from Toms Rutkis and Jan Kostal added to a strike from Nell as Swindon returned from Blackpool with a 5-1 victory to their name.

Swindon broke the deadlock in the fifth minute when Rutkis fired across the face of Manchester netminder Stephen Fone for an unassisted goal, before Jonas Höög set-up Nell to double the visitors’ advantage minutes before the break.

It took just 56 seconds of the second period for Kostal to extend the lead before Manchester fought their way back into the game with a goal from Jakub Langhammer.

Rutkis restored Swindon’s three goal advantage in the 37th minute before Kostal wrapped up proceedings with 10 minutes of the game to go.

Having picked up eight points from their last four games, Nell is pleased to be recovering from a shaky start.

“If you had told me last Friday that we would win our next four games, I would have bit your hand off,” he said.

“I think the odds would have been very long and that is just being very honest.

“These two games this weekend we should have won but the two last weekend were big, big wins.

“Now we are in a good spot and at the start of the season, after eight games, we would have taken being in this position.

“I think we were in control of the game the whole night.

“It could have been a big banana skin, this one, and we got a very important win.

“The first period was very important, we didn’t want to give them any life and we didn’t do that and then we just built on it from there on.

“They were both big goals in the first period. Toms (Rutkis) was fantastic tonight and deserved his man of the match.

“That goal at the end of the second period was a fantastic goal. Adam (Finlinson) played really hard tonight and got the puck out round the boards and Kyle (Smith) made a great play and Toms drove the net.

“It is very simple but it is effective.”

However, it is hard not to feel sympathy for a Manchester side who are not only playing away from home at the Flyde Coast Ice Arena in Blackpool, but also boast a roster of just 14 players.

“They are in a bit of a hole with the lack of player they have got right now but fair play to them, they do work hard,” added Nell.

“They had a lot of good chances and Stevie had to play really well tonight. The whole team played really well.

“We had to make sure that we played for 60 minutes and then the more bodies that we had would take over.”

and we would play with more energy than them and I think we did that.

“That line of Kyle (Smith), Adam (Finlinson) and Toms was really good tonight. I know Manchester were short-benched but they played against imports all night.

“I know the imports are tired but they are still good players.

“Three lads who are 18 years old playing against seasoned professionals and they did a really good job.

“If they carry on like that, they will have a lot of success and that will really help our team.”