NETMINDER Stevie Lyle says Swindon Wildcats cannot afford to reflect on Sunday’s defeat at Hull Pirates for too long with a rare midweek match in the offing.

With English Premier League fixtures usually restricted to the weekend, the Cats face an unusually short turnaround as they host Milton Keynes Lightning at the Link Centre on Wednesday night.

Player-coach Aaron Nell and his troops would normally get a full week to analyse their previous performances but with another game coming up so soon, Lyle is eager to put the 7-4 loss at Hull to bed as soon as possible, especially as the next assignment pits Swindon against opposition flying high in the EPL table.

“I actually thought we were the better team on Sunday. There were a couple of calls which went against us but overall, it’s disappointing because we want to get as many four-point weekends as we can,” said Lyle, who also helped the Cats claim a 7-6 home success over Guildford Flames on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we have to stay positive because we have three big games coming up throughout the week.

“We haven’t played Milton Keynes this year but I know their players. They are obviously a very good team. They’re second in the league right now and they’re coached by Pete Russell, who is a good coach.

“We have a good record at home, so we would like to get back to winning ways and take that into Saturday’s game against Basingstoke.”

The Cats are currently fourth in the league table but with the first home and away fixture of the season against each opposition also serving as an EPL Cup match, victories are twice as important at this early stage.

With Swindon needing to remain in a top-four position to qualify for the semi-finals before the cut-off point towards the end of next month, Lyle has been impressed with how quickly the team have hit their stride this term.

“They’re all cup games coming up this week and we want to try and make those cup semi-finals as well. We have a good group of boys here and we just have to learn from our mistakes,” added Lyle.

“The league is better this year so you have to turn up to every game, the Hull result just goes to show you can’t turn up and expect a win.

“Usually we always get going at around Christmas time so it is a good thing we have made a better start. Aaron is doing well coaching and all the players are buying in.”