JAMES ARCHER and Stephen Wallace have the potential to be the top British performers in the English Premier league next season.

That’s the view of Phoenix player coach Tony Hand as he announced their return to the club for another season.

“These two guys should be premier players in the league next year,” said Hand while also highlighting the areas where they can improve.

The 27-year-old Wallace, from Billingham, is back for his third season in Altrincham where the coach is hoping for a quicker start than last season.

“Stephen started off a bit slow last year,” he said. “Where he lives there is no ice rink and it took him a little while to get going but once he did he consistently got a lot of good points.

“I like the fact that he has started to play a lot better defensively and there is a lot more to his game.

“He was always coming back, playing smart and helping out the d-men.

“He’s experienced and is a good guy to have around and scores a lot of good points for us.

“He has a fantastic skill level with his puck handling, a good eye for the net and a great shot.”

Archer, the younger of the pair at 22, needs to concentrate on his goalscoring and Hand said: “I think he has a lot more to come in his game and I was speaking to him about that.

“He needs to up his fitness levels and be a wee bit more consistent around the net and he will take his game to another level.

“He plays hard every night and is great in the dressing room.

“He scored a lot of important goals for us last year at the right times.

“In their first season players always take a little bit of time to find their feet but I felt he really settled into the team and I’m glad to have him back.”