Knights left playing catch-up after Wildcats even score at The Castle

Ryan Aldridge admitted Leeds Knights were far from their best after a 5-3 home defeat to NIHL National North leaders Swindon Wildcats saw them emerge pointless across the weekend.

- by Freddie Loach

A 2-0 defeat the previous night at Milton Keynes Lightning - combined with an overtime win at Solway Sharks for Swindon - meant there was greater emphasis on Sunday's clash in West Yorkshire.

But two goals and a man of the match performance from Swindon's Tyler Watkins saw the visitors prevail, increasing their cushion over third-placed Leeds to seven points.

With just over half the regular season remaining, there remains plenty of time for the Knights to overhaul their Wiltshire rivals but, as far as Knights' head coach Aldridge was concerned, it was a bad night at the office for his players, insisting they need to bounce back quickly when they host Hull Seahawks at The Castle on Friday.