SWINDON Wildcats D-man Stevie Whitfield knows his side must improve on Sunday’s showing if they are to start climbing up the league table in the new year.

Cats kicked off 2017 with a lacklustre penalty shootout win away to Bracknell Bees, courtesy of Jan Kostal’s goal.

Jonas Höög had given the visitors a first-period lead but Aaron Nell’s side could not hold on as Olegs Lascenko struck to take the game to overtime.

Despite claiming a four-point weekend, having beaten Guildford Flames 4-2 on New Year’s Eve, Swindon's Whitfield admits that Sunday was not good enough.

“As Aaron (Nell) was saying, we rode our luck a bit,” he explained.

“We’ve had three or four good performances in a row and then we got a bit lucky.

“They (Bracknell) battled hard and made it difficult for us and we underperformed a bit and didn’t win our battles, like we have been, and that let them into the game a little bit.

“We came out pretty flat. We have been a bit flat in the last couple of games and grown into it but (on Sunday), we were flat and just carried on at that level.”

However, the win was Swindon’s fourth in their last five outings and they now sit seventh with clear daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

The increase in the physicality Cats have displayed has been notable in recent games and Whitfield says he is enjoying it as a defensive player.

“I’m happy with where we are, particularly our home form,” he said.

“We still need to work a bit on our away games because we can’t control the pace so much when it is in someone else’s building.

“We have to try and play a different way but at home, we have been dominating games against very good teams.

“The physical aspect of our team now is nice for the defence when we are forechecking, because I know what it is like getting hit – when we play Basingstoke, I get hit 20 per cent more than at anyone else and it’s hard.

“So when we’re going down there and we are hitting them, I know how hard our forwards are making it.

“We’ve brought in Phil Hill and he is a really good influence on the locker room; his professionalism in different situations.”

Swindon play host to Hull Pirates on Saturday (5.45pm), who sit two places and just four points ahead in the English Premier League, and Whitfield knows it will be an important game.

“We’re not in a good spot right now but we want to start moving forward and Hull are catchable,” he added.

“That is what we have got to look to do; just keep picking up wins.”