Weekend Preview: Fire Set for Action Against Devils Away and Wildcats at Home

Preview by Peter Ryan / Photos by James Assinder

Join us for our next home game this Sunday 15th November against the Swindon Wildcats 2. Click HERE to book your tickets online and beat the queues on the door.

The Cardiff Fire are preparing for another back-to-back weekend. The side will hit the road to Gosport on Saturday as they prepare to take on the Solent Devils for the third match-up of the season. On Sunday, the side returns home to the Welsh capital to welcome the Swindon Wildcats 2. Cardiff will look to return to winning ways following a disappointing defeat to the Chelmsford Chieftains. The squad possesses a wealth of talent and will be on the hunt for a big win.

Last time out  

Last weekend, Cardiff enjoyed consecutive home games, welcoming the Romford Buccaneers and the Chelmsford Chieftains to the Vindico Arena. Under the Saturday night lights, the Fire were firing on all cylinders. Cardiff put eight goals past the opposition. Joe Malfatti and Rhys Smetham got the team off to a fantastic start. In the second period, both Owen and Rhys Smetham scored, along with Bobby Ragan. The final 20 minutes saw Rhys Smetham score his fourth goal in the contest. Bailey Hind-Pitcher also got a goal to close out the encounter with an 8-2 win.

Sunday told a different story: Ragan, Hind-Pitcher, and Rhys Smetham all produced goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Chieftains came away with a 9-3 win. The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story, and the Fire will look to produce a spectacular performance this weekend.

Stats

Rhys Smetham had a fantastic weekend, tallying five goals and earning an assist. In the Romford game, the team’s creative spark was on full display, with 15 assists. Ben Scanlan had a tremendous showing in goal with a 95.7% save rate. The second game of the weekend had five assists and produced less in attack.

The weekend was two vastly different stories. However, one factor is clear: when the Fire are on the attacking front, assists, goals, and wins follow.

League table and matchups  

The Fire currently sit fourth in the league table with 12 points. They should go into the games confident, as the last time Cardiff met either team, victory followed. Last time, the Fire met the Devils; they secured a 4-2 victory at home. For Swindon, earlier this year, Cardiff put on a spectacular display, winning 9-4 at the Link Centre. Two great match-ups with talented teams set to clash; big results will go a long way as the table is beginning to ramp up.

Both games are going to be brilliant, and there is one certainty: passion will be at an all-time high.