A cross-country trip to East Anglia beckons for the Reds, as they take on promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town in the first match of 2021.
A frozen County Ground pitch delayed the kicking off of the New Year for the Town and John Sheridan’s side will need to be just as solid against the seventh placed Ipswich.
Swindon were relieved to see the back end of 2020 after a frustrating run of four defeats in five games in December, closing the year with a painful 4-1 home defeat to MK Dons.
However, Sheridan has had the opportunity to bolster his squad with some new additions in the form of young goalkeeper Mark Travers, Dominic Thompson and Kieron Freeman who have joined the ranks.
The January transfer window is often a very key time for any team, and they will all be hoping to hit the ground running and helping the Town surge up the table in the New Year.
Ipswich also had a few problems of their own in December drawing 0-0 with Oxford United at home and losing 2-0 at home to Portsmouth; however, they did enjoy better fortunes with a 2-1 away win against 10-man Plymouth Argyle and a well fought 2-1 home win against Burton Albion.
Incredibly, Saturday’s meeting at Portman Road against the Tractor Boys will be the first domestic fixture between the two sides since the 15th January 2000.
The opposition:
A defensively solid side who are very hard to break down, Paul Lambert’s side boast one of the strongest defences in the division conceding 19 goals in 18 games.
They typically set up with a 4-2-3-1 formation but are malleable enough to adjust their approach to a match when it suits them best, whether that is overloading the opposition on an attacking front or sitting back and narrowing to hold on to a lead.
Ones to watch:
Their dangermen to watch out for will be leading goalscorer and assist provider Gwion Edwards who has been causing havoc to opposition defences from the right-wing on a regular basis, while central midfield duo Teddy Bishop and Jon Nolan marshal the midfield and have also contributed with a goal or an assist on regular occasions this season.
Team news:
Ellis Iandolo and Jonathan Grounds remain sidelined with injury, while Jonny Smith and Hallam Hope both return to the squad.
Town will also be without Rob Hunt as he starts a three-match suspension following his red card against MK Dons.
New signings Mark Travers and Dom Thompson are in contention to make their Swindon debuts. Most recent aquisition Kieron Freeman is not fully match-fit and does not feature in tomorrow's squad.
