Swindon Town welcome Salford City to The County Ground this weekend as League Two football returns to SN1.
Ahead of Saturday’s game (3pm kick off), First-Team Head Coach, Scott Lindsey, assessed his sides chances and gave us the lowdown on his preparations in his pre-match press conference earlier today.
Injury news…
“Ellis Iandolo remains out injured for a number of weeks. He’s had another scan which has highlighted a few issues, so we’ll continue working with him on his rehabilitation.
“It’s really frustrating for Ellis as he played a fair few games last season and we were hoping for more of the same this time around, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way so far. But he’s a fantastic professional and is doing everything he can to recover, and we will continue to work closely with him.
“Reece Devine didn’t train today due to a slight knock which forced him out of one the midweek sessions, but we’re confident he will be back tomorrow and we will assess him from there.”
Getting some of the new signings up to speed with their fitness…
“We’ve obviously brought in a few new players that haven’t had a full pre-season with us, or weren’t playing regular first-team football last term, so they will take a little longer to get up to full speed.
“The likes of Saidou and Tomi will need to rely on playing competitive games to get fit, which in an ideal world isn’t what we would have wanted, but it’s the way it is. They’re both working really hard in training and will soon get to the levels required.
“The same goes for Angus too. He didn’t play a great deal last term but has been working tirelessly to get fully fit. He obviously played the full ninety on Saturday at Harrogate, and he’ll benefit from that and get stronger each week.”
Scott on team selection…
“Of course every game is different and you need to prepare your side for the various challenges each side in this league brings.
“We’ll always assess each team we play and field a side capable of winning. Will the starting eleven be different to the one that featured against Harrogate? possibly, but that’s something I need to look at as first-team coach.
“We’ve got a really good squad of players and quality to replace quality when needed, so that’s a huge plus for us.”
Bouncing back from the Harrogate defeat…
“I was more disappointed than anyone last Saturday with the result, and the players were too.
“But we’ve all spoken about it and had some really productive conversations and I’m delighted with that.
“We know our second half performance wasn’t what we wanted, especially after I felt we started the game brightly in the first period. We missed some good chances and had opportunities to score goals, and if we convert these it’s a different game, but we also know we can do a lot better and it wasn’t good enough.
“A lot went against us in the game but we’ve been working extremely hard this week. We have another opportunity to put things right on Saturday.”
The impact of new first-team coach Gavin Gunning…
“Gavin is a great coach and he brings a lot of energy to the camp.
“I had him as a player at Forest Green Rovers and he was a real leader both on and off the pitch. He understands what is expected of him and knows the game very well, especially from a defensive perspective.
“He’s got to grips with our defensive unit here and has built good links with the players, and he’s already starting to have a real impact, and you’ll see the effects of that moving forward.
“He’s a great character and good to have around the club.”
Assessing the threats of Salford City…
“Looking at them during pre-season and assessing their opening day victory over Mansfield, we know they’re a strong side and have a certain way of playing and attacking.
“They’ll be very difficult opponents as they have good players and real strength and depth. They’re also able to role in and out of formations which can cause real problems.
“We need to know how to press at the right time and sit off, while understanding their different approaches, so it’ll be a very tough game.”
Attitudes in training ahead of Saturday…
“I’ve been delighted with how the players have reacted in training after last Saturday.
“Their attitudes have been spot on and they’ve shown a real desire to bounce back.
“They were all fantastic at the Open Training session on Monday and in high spirits. We had a debrief the following day with some great feedback which was really productive, so we’re all feeling confident heading into this weekend’s game.”
