John Goddard is relishing the chance to pit his wits against Bolton Wanderers this weekend and is confident Town can get back to winning ways in League One.
The Trotters will make the trip to SN1 on Saturday (1pm Kick-Off) for the first time since October 1999 and will be looking to reverse their recent poor form having not recorded a victory in their last six league meetings.
And Goddard, whilst acknowledging that Bolton will prove to be tough opposition given their experience and quality, is confident Town can come out on top and get the three points they need to start moving up the table.
“It is going to be a real test. We’ve looked at their side and how they play and they a very good team but they are not on the best of runs themselves,” he told swindontownfc.co.uk.
“We’ll go into it positive, we won’t look at the names and the club and we’ll look at the game as an opportunity to get three points.
“We’ll go into it confident and positive but, like any game in this league, it is not going to be easy and we know that.
“This league is so competitive and if you look at the results every week everyone beats everyone so it is a chance for us to get three points.
“If a team is not on such a good run they want to win just as much as the team on a great run, so it is not going to be easy for us but we’re confident and if we play the way we can play then we’re hard to play against.
“It gives you an incentive and an extra motivation to play in these kinds of games but you don’t look at it too much, you probably look back on it rather than at the time and you get focused in the moment.
“Bolton have got some good players in their midfield but they would probably say that we’ve got some good players in our midfield as well, so it works both ways and it makes for a good game.
“I’m sure that they will do their homework on us and try and stop us like we will try to stop them.
“I’m looking forward to it but I won’t be overawed by the occasion.”
Goddard also reflected on his successful spot-kick against local rivals Oxford United in midweek, which helped put Town on the cusp of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Checkatrade Trophy.
“That was a good moment and whatever competition it is in it is a nice feeling. You could see how much it meant to the fans after the game, they were all buzzing and it was really important for us,” he added.
“You don’t often get a chance to get your own back on a local rival so quickly. It was nice for the boys and hopefully we can continue to do well in that competition.”
