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Interviews

Garner expecting tough test from Sutton

Gaffer Previews Tuesday's Showdown

18 October 2021

Interviews

Garner expecting tough test from Sutton

Gaffer Previews Tuesday's Showdown

18 October 2021

Swindon Town Head Coach Ben Garner is looking forward to seeing his team pit their wits against high-flying Sutton United on Tuesday night.

The Reds are back in EFL Sky Bet League Two action tomorrow night when they head to the VBS Community Stadium, where they will face a Sutton team who have won five straight in all competitions.

And, speaking at his pre-match press conference earlier today, Garner is well aware of the task at hand facing his players on Tuesday. 

"They are in fantastic form and they are having a brilliant season," Garner said.

"They've probably surprised themselves with how well they've adapted to life in League Two, so we go there with full respect for their form, how they are playing and what they are doing.

"We'll certainly be going there with a lot of humility and understanding what a tough game it will be. 

"They are a strong team, physically powerful and they work really hard for each other, they look really well organised, they play for territory really well with long throw-ins, they work the line really well and they've been very, very effective from set-pieces.

"50 percent of their goals have come from throw-ins and set-pieces, so we go there with full respect for what they do and how they play.

"However, we'll certainly be looking to impose our game in a very different style of play to what they do, but we've got to try and impose that on the game as best as we can.

"They are a unique team in that they've got their own strengths and their own attributes, they are well organised, they clearly work very hard for each other and they've been very effective in what they do.

"We have to respect that, we have to deal with that and the challenge for us is doing what we believe in and doing what we believe is the best way for us to go and win the game.

"I'm confident we can go and do that on Tuesday night and come away with another three points away from home.

"I always love games under the lights, it will be a good crowd there, a good atmosphere, I know we've sold out again, we're taking a fantastic away following once again and I think it will be a good game.

"Hopefully we can perform well and come away with the win we want."

And Sutton is a club Garner knows well having spent a couple of seasons there after deciding to hang up his boots as a player.

"I actually retired as a player at 20, 21 and a friend of mine was at Sutton at the time and he talked me out of retirement a year or so later to go and play down there and do a bit of coaching," Garner continued.

"I did a bit of coaching with the youth team and played a little bit in their reserve side for a period. I already started coaching at Crystal Palace and couldn't commit to the two evenings a week for the first-team, but I really enjoyed my couple of seasons I had there.

"There's a lot of good people at the club, a lot of good players that have come through there and it is a club I know well.

"I know Bruce the Chairman really well, it is a well-run club and I was delighted to see them get into the Football League and I'm pleased they've had such a strong start, but hopefully we can derail that a little bit on Tuesday night."


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