SWINDON Wildcats new coach Stevie Lyle said he went on an emotional rollercoaster during his first match in charge.

In an unfamiliar suit and shirt, rather than the comfort of his gloves and pads, Lyle cut an anxious figure on the sidelines.

However, Lyle needn’t have worried as the ever reliable Aaron Nell set about settling some of those nerves with an opening goal in the first two minutes.

Swindon were unable to hold onto the win, eventually being held to a 3-3 draw in their first of two pre-season games with Manchester Phoenix this weekend, but Lyle had plenty of positives to take from his first game in charge.

“I think I felt more nervous tonight without the hockey gear on than I have ever felt before,” said Lyle.

“You go through mixed emotions out there because it is out of my control.

“I thought Jordan Hedley had a great game and made a lot of big saves and stepped in really well.

“Obviously I wanted to win tonight but the win is not the most important thing.

“The most important thing is getting guys playing with each other.”

Aaron Nell broke the deadlock just 63 seconds into the contest as Corey McEwen showed some fine skill on debut to lay it on a plate for the vice-captain.

Swindon extended their lead seven minutes into the second period when Nell and McEwen again linked up, this time the latter getting on the score-sheet.

The visitors pulled a goal back eight minutes before the end of the period when Robin Kovar finished a good move, but Tomasz Malasinski restored the hosts’ two goal advantage in the 42nd minute.

Nico Aaltonen scored from a narrow angle, with Floyd Taylor being excluded from the game for kneeing, to set up a tense finish and Manchester completed the comeback with 46 seconds left on the clock through Stanislav Gron.

“I think we controlled most of it,” added Lyle.

“Obviously there are parts of it I will take from it going into tomorrow night, but on the whole I think we were the better team.

“I think we had more scoring chances than them, but unfortunately their goalie had a great game tonight.

“I am going to stay positive. You are going to come up against top goalies and we did tonight, and he kept them in the game.

“We have literally just had a 45 minute session together, so everything is still new.

“I knew that with bringing a new team in it is going to take us time.

“That is why we have got five games to get ourselves going.”

Swindon now travel to Manchester’s new home at the Deeside Leisure Centre, north Wales, this evening and Lyle will not be changing much.

“We’re going to stick with the same system, because there is no point having a system in the first game and then, just because we drew 3-3 tonight, thinking it is the end of the world,” said Lyle.

“It is a system which is an aggressive one and most of the time tonight we got it right, but if you don’t it leaves a big hole in the middle of the ice for the opposite team to attack.

“We’ll get it.”