PHIL Hill believes keeping the core of last season’s Swindon Wildcats team could prove vital to achieving his aims of lifting the league title next season.

The 35-year-old veteran becomes Aaron Nell’s 14th signing of the season and his fifth of this week alone, with only two of the current roster being new faces.

Having joined midway through last season’s campaign to aid a side depleted by injury and hopes that more familiar faces and a full pre-season under his belt could result in a winning mentality at the club.

“It’s obviously tough coming through half way through the year and playing different systems,” he added.

“Speaking to Aaron, there are going to be quite a few guys retained from last year so there is going to be some chemistry there.

“The successful teams I have been a part of, we have always managed to stay healthy and play on the same lines all the way through the year.

“I have played with Max (Birbraer) quite a bit through my career, so we have got a bit of chemistry there and playing with (Jan) Kostal, that seemed to click well for the period we were playing together.

“Sometimes things click straight away, sometimes it takes a bit of time, but it is key to get one or two lines firing at least.”

Hill has not set his sights low for the next campaign either, having been part of a side that fell short in the play-offs last season.

With Swindon dropping down to the National League South, he is aware that the pressure will be on his teammates to be challenging for the title but is embracing that.

“I think it is a bit up in the air at the moment as to how the league is going to play out,” he added.

“Swindon should definitely be challenging for the title. I think that is a good pressure and I have been on teams where that pressure has been there and it makes it exciting each weekend knowing that you have got to win games to stay in the hunt.

“Obviously Basingstoke and Peterborough are still in the league so you are still going to have a lot of tough games.

“Aaron has retained some good players, some promising young guys and it is good for an experienced player like myself to try and help and have a successful season.

“He knows there are things we can build on and improve going forward and I think that is what we are both going to try and do, help each other out and try to keep improving the organisation.

“If you do that then you are building a successful franchise and going forward, it should be a winning culture.”