Leeds Knights boss Ryan Aldridge aware of threat posed by former club Basingstoke Bison
HAVING tasted defeat at the hands of Basingstoke Bison once already this season, Leeds Knights’ head coach Ryan Aldridge is aware of the challenge that awaits his team in Hampshire on Sunday.
Avenging the 3-2 overtime defeat they suffered at the hands of Bison at Elland Road back in November would not only taste sweet but, more importantly, assure the Knights of a place in the NIHL National Cup semi-finals.
Due to initial problems with their refurbished rink at the start of the season, the Bison are playing catch-up with the rest of the NIHL National league, having played at least six games less than all but one of their rivals.
The win in Leeds was the second in a run of five which has lifted the Bison off the foot of the standings, although they were brought crashing back down to earth with a 5-0 defeat at Romford Raiders last Sunday.
Aldridge is looking forward to going back to the club that gave him his only Elite League experience behind the bench and is prepared for a tough night on his return.
“It’s a bigger ice pad there and depending on how good the ice is - it’s the first time we’ve been down there in a couple of years or so - I think the big ice might help us and suit us,” said Aldridge.
“They are a good team and are very well coached and I think when you sit and look at the table and you see them down the bottom, that doesn’t tell the true story of how their season has gone.
“To go through what they’ve gone through and still come out of that and play the way they are playing, they are definitely doing something right down there and we’ve got to make sure we go down there with the right mindset.
“They are definitely in the wrong spot in the league right now and have got a lot of games to catch up on a well but they can definitely turn anyone over.”
Before heading south, the Knights – who sit second and trail league leaders Swindon Wildcats by three points – host Romford.
The Raiders arrive in Leeds after a recent change of coach with Sean Easton returning to the club he coached previously from 2017-24 and replacing Jason Buckman, who was sacked on November 6.
The Knights will be hoping to make it three wins in as many games against Romford this season, winning 4-3 on the road on October 4 before returning home to enjoy a 5-2 win the following night.
"We had a good win down there, but they didn’t have a full line-up at the time,” added Aldridge. “They’ve now got a different coach in, a coach who knows this league very well, knows the team - so they will be a completely different proposition to when we played them before.”