NEW Town boss Kevin MacDonald takes charge of his first match at The County Ground this weekend against Walsall.
After the last-gasp victory at Coventry City last Saturday got his reign off to a flying start, Town will look to maintain their momentum in front of their own supporters when the Saddlers come to Wiltshire.
THE VIEW
Kevin MacDonald says that the team will be concentrating on getting the right result on Saturday.
After facing an old club last weekend, another of the Town manager’s former clubs are at The County Ground this weekend and the Scotsman began by praising the job that Dean Smith had done at the Banks’s Stadium.
“Dean has done a fantastic job,” he said. “They’ve got some good players playing for them but we’ve got good players playing for us and we haven’t done that badly this season.
“It will be a good match up and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
“The biggest thing for me is to concentrate on our own results. We’ve got a game on Saturday and if we can get the right result then we can look forward to the next game but you can only affect your own team’s performance and result.”
THE STORY SO FAR
Town’s victory at the Banks’s Stadium in November came in the middle of a winless run for the Saddlers that saw them go 16 games without a victory in all competitions.
Three wins from four games over the Christmas and New Year period seem to have sparked a change in fortunes for Dean Smith’s men. Since the start of January, Walsall have only lost once and have recorded eight victories from their last eleven outings including a 3-1 win over high-flying Bournemouth.
Last Saturday, they ran out 3-1 winners when they hosted rivals Shrewsbury Town, a victory that saw them into 8th place in League One, just three points off the play-off places.
LAST TIME OUT
Simon Ferry’s goal inside a minute set Town on their way to three points against the Saddlers earlier on in the season. Matt Ritchie’s second-half strike wrapped up the win.
Walsall boast a good recent record at The County Ground and have lost just twice on their last ten visits to Wiltshire. On their last trip both teams earned a share of the spoils as the match ended goal-less.
Town’s last home victory over the Midlands side was in January 2009 when Kevin Amankwaah, Simon Cox and Billy Paynter scored the goals in a 3-2 success. Walsall’s last win at SN1 was in February 2008 when the promotion-chasing Saddlers ran out 3-0 winners.
TICKETS
Tickets for the match are on sale right now from the STFC Box Office either in person or by calling 0871 876 1993.
Alternatively, you can also buy tickets online from www.swindontownfc.talent-sport.co.uk
