Town First-Team Coach Ross Embleton has reflected on the positives of having a free week and has previewed Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy clash against Luton Town at The County Ground.
“The mood has been good and positive. It has been a week we’ve probably all been crying out for for a long time,” he told swindontownfc.co.uk.
“The fixture list has been relentless and even when we’ve had a quiet week we’ve had a reserve game so the first-half of the season has been non-stop.
“There has always been something that has occupied part of our week and we’ve not had everybody together in training, so it has been a bit surreal in terms of the contact time we’ve been able to have with the whole group.
“It has been a good week.
“The busy schedule takes its toll physically on everyone but it also has an effect mentally as well. Sometimes people look at the physical state of the players and think they’re not in a great position physically, but sometimes it is just the fact that they are mentally worn out and have been working really, really hard and relentlessly for an extended period of time since pre-season.
“One or two of the players that have had niggles have had the opportunity to get over those and have the work done that they have needed to do and see the specialist people that they needed to see to help them back.”
Town face Luton Town on Tuesday at SN1 (7.45pm Kick-Off) hoping to progress in the Checkatrade Trophy but Embleton is well aware that the Hatters won’t be pushovers in the tie.
“An issue of ours for most of the season has been that we’ve had a good performance and then struggled to follow it up, but we did well in terms of getting four points in two games in a week so it is really important for us to make sure that we build on that,” he continued.
“Having a break allows the boys to recover and it also gives them an opportunity to go into the game fully prepared.
“It keeps the season going and it keeps everybody motivated with a huge opportunity to go to Wembley at the end of it.
“We know the history over the last few years in terms of the teams that have made the final and won the competition have ended up having a successful season in the league, so it is important we use that to our advantage.
“Luton are a big club and it is a club that is certainly capable of a lot more than the league they are in.
“History over the season has taught us that the way they have approached the competition has been to blood their young players, so we could well face the majority of the team that played in the FA Cup this weekend but then if they continue to repeat what they’ve done in the competition so far then there could be wholesale changes.
“I’m sure it will be a tough game either way.”
