Swindon Town Head Coach Ben Garner spoke to the media shortly after seeing his side exit the Carabao Cup, following a First Round penalty shoot-out defeat at Cambridge United.
The Reds produced a determined showing against League One opposition with Garner taking the opportunity to see several new faces in action with debuts for goalkeeper Lewis Ward, Louis Reed and Ryan East amongst six changes to the side that won 3-1 at Scunthorpe United on Saturday.
There was also a debut off the bench for Ricky Aguiar, signed earlier in the day from Worthing, whilst Mathieu Baudry and Akin Odimayo were both forced off with injuries during a testing but encouraging encounter.
Speaking shortly after the final whistle, Garner offered his views on the night’s work.
On The Result...
"Cambridge were promoted last season but we gave a really, really account of ourselves. Some of the play was excellent tonight but we just didn’t quite get that final pass right – but with work, that will come. I think we had two shots on target, they had one so there weren’t many clear-cut chances but I think we shaded it with what we did have.
"I made a conscious decision not to practice penalties going into the game. The lads have stepped up and taken them, but the decision not to practice them is absolutely on me.
"I couldn't be prouder of the effort the lads put in tonight."
On Injuries…
"AK (Akin Odimayo) is fine, it’s just cramp, he’ll be fine. Matty (Mathieu Baudry) felt his hamstring a little bit so we took him off as a precaution and hopefully it’s nothing too major."
On Team Changes…
"We had to be very careful but rotated it as much as we could. We were limited a little bit with the size of squad we have, but I couldn’t be prouder of the effort that the lads have put in tonight."
On Louis Reed's Debut…
"I was really pleased with Louis. He got stronger as the game went on and I thought he showed his qualities today and what a great addition he’ll be for us. He played a few games in preseason for Doncaster so fitness wise he’s up to speed which is great."
On Ricky Aguiar…
"He has good awareness, good vision and has good potential and is one we will develop and assess as we go on. We know all about him from people we know at Worthing and he actually scored a lot of goals for them too. He is a really good kid and is one we think has lots of potential."
On Transfers…
"We would like to get another forward in but whether that is before Saturday, probably doubtful. There are other areas we may have a look at too so as soon as we can get something done, we will."
On Saturday…
"We will rest tomorrow and then be in for training Thursday and Friday ahead of Carlisle. I am expecting a fantastic atmosphere at The County Ground this weekend and that can make a huge difference to the players.
"We can go into these next two home league games with confidence."
