ALUN Rossiter is looking forward to testing the mettle of his 2015 Swindon Robins when they dive into the new Elite League season right at the deep end.

There will be no treading water for Rossiter’s men as they head straight into a curtain-raising double-header showdown with last season’s swashbuckling champions Poole Pirates on Good Friday.

Despite the distance between the two towns, Poole, who will include 2014 Robin Dakota North in their line-up this term, are Swindon’s closest geographical rivals and team manager Rossiter doesn’t see any point in waiting to take on the title favourites.

Even if the Pirates are the bookmakers’ tip to clinch a third Elite League crown in a row, the Swindon chief is quick to point out that pre-season hype isn’t always a guaranteed precursor for success.

“They’re basically our local rivals now, so I’m looking forward to it,” said the Robins chief.

“Sadly, we lost Oxford and Reading, who are no longer here, but with Poole, we’ve got a club that everybody wants to beat.

“But saying that, I’m sure they’ll make changes for the play-offs because they’ve got enough assets.

“It pitches our boys up against them to see what we’re like.

“It’s early days but it still pitches us up against them to see where we’re at and if we beat them, even better.

“Everyone was screaming about Belle Vue (last season) and then they finished bottom of the pack.

“I kind of don’t really worry about anyone else. I just worry about us and what we’ve got and our goal is to get to the play-offs.

“All we need to do is get in that top four. It doesn’t matter where it is because it’s home and away and we’ve just got to make sure we improve on last year.”

Rossiter also says that his job has been made easier by Colin Pratt’s arrival as co-promoter.

The Swindon boss added: “It’s been amazing with Colin on board this year.

“The pressure he’s taken off me is immense. I can just get on with it and not worry about what’s going on at the turnstile or what’s going on in the stands.”