Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge expects long 'grind' with Milton Keynes Lightning double-header stiffest test yet

The Leeds Knights’ head coach leads his team into a weekend double-header with Milton Keynes Lightning expecting them to face their toughest test yet.

The Knights remain the only team with a 100 per cent record in NIHL National, meaning the size of the target on their backs is probably even bigger than it was at the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, one which they started out as reigning league and play-off champions.

Aldridge believes winning the 2022-23 regular season championship, followed by the post-season triumph, took a lot out of his team and he expects it to be even harder this time around.

“It’s going to be another hard season,” said Aldridge. “It will be for whichever team wins it.

“It is going to be a long, hard grind - everyone wants to take you down because you’re the champions, or you’re the top of the league - that’s why it is such a grind.

“Winning is hard. Winning a championship is hard and it took a lot out of us last year. But we’re a very different group this year, so we have to find what we’re good at and play our style and get comfortable in that.”

Ahead of a first meeting of the season against the Lightning - whose only defeat in four games came at home to a much-improved Hull Seahawks team, Aldridge added: “I think Milton Keynes are the deepest team in the league, maybe only Swindon can come close to them in that respect.

"They have a very deep line-up, very experienced - lots of players with plenty of quality right through the line-up.”

Tim Wallace’s team will hope to put home advantage to good use on Saturday night and leapfrog current leaders Leeds as a result, coming into the game on the back of an impressive 6-2 win at temporarily homeless Swindon Wildcats.

Aldridge is convinced the Lightning – who along with Peterborough Phantoms pushed the Knights close for the vast majority of last season – will again be there or thereabouts come the business end of the season.

"They are going to be a team that’s fighting for a championship I would imagine and it’s a massive test for us this weekend – it will be interesting to see how we respond to it,” added Aldridge.

“And I think ending last season with no silverware will have hurt them somewhat. The team they had last year, I think they should have got something out of that and I’m sure they’re going to want to change that this year.”