Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge on why he welcomes more competitive NIHL National
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
A road win will see that situation reversed and put them back above Milton Keynes Lightning, who replaced them at the top of the UK second-tier with a 6-3 win at home to Bristol Pitbulls on Friday night.
Regardless of the result in Essex, though, this weekend highlights how tight NIHL National has already become this season.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRomford welcome Leeds boasting the same number points, but sat third due to an inferior goal difference.
Milton Keynes make a second visit of the season to Elland Road on Sunday knowing a win would guarantee them waking up on Monday morning as leaders.
For the past two seasons, Leeds have more often than not been the team for everybody else to catch.
This season looks like it might offer a different scenario whereby top spot changes hands on a regular basis.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnd while that might not be what some Knights fans want to hear, it will certainly make for a riveting 2024-25 campaign.


But the close nature of the league is not just confined to the top three. Just five points separate the Lightning down to Swindon Wildcats in seventh, Sheffield Steeldogs moving up to fifth courtesy of the point earned in their 4-3 overtime defeat at home to Telford Tigers on Friday night.
As far as Knights head coach Ryan Aldridge is concerned, he is not surprised at how the season has gone in the opening month. But he welcomes the competitiveness.
“It’s quite unusual that both teams we play go into the three-night weekend on the same number of points as us,” said Aldridge.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“And it’s not really a surprise, how tight the table is overall. I just think the league is so much stronger this season and deeper, each line-up seems deeper which should make for a great season.


“To see a gap as small as that between the top seven teams is a bit crazy but it’s good and proves how good the league is now.”
Romford are perhaps the surprise package of the season so far.
Having parted company with Sean Easton as head coach in the summer, the GB Under-18s head coach having been behind the bench for seven years, they made last year’s top points-scorer, Adam Laishram, player-coach.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Romford have massively improved this year and are really good at home,” added Aldridge. “So it’s going to be a tough game down there to try and sneak two points."
Milton Keynes enjoy a night off on Saturday ahead of their trip to West Yorkshire, where they will hope to fare better than the 7-3 defeat they suffered on the opening weekend of the season. Romford travel to Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.