Swindon Town are back in action tomorrow, Tuesday 13 September, as they welcome Sutton United to The County Ground as League Two returns after the postponements at the weekend.
First-Team Head Coach, Scott Lindsey, addressed the media earlier today in his pre-match press conference, with a focus on the extra break for his players and the threats Sutton will pose his side.
Scott on the weekends postponement…
“We don’t usually get the opportunity to rest on a Saturday, so it proved a good chance to give the players a bit of added downtime which they’ll definitely benefit from.
“The lads have been back in training today and preparations are going really well ahead of tomorrow evening. We put a real shift in on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game, so it’s been a case of carrying that over and the lads are ready.
“Having an enforced break has helped the players both mentally and physically, and it’s been good to press the reset button, so we’re ready to go again. My players have looked really sharp this morning.
“Of course we would have liked to have played the game Saturday and kept that momentum up heading into Sutton, but we completely understand the reasoning behind it and fully support the decision.”
Injury news…
“Not much to report on the injury front at the moment. It’s just Tomi Adeloye out at present with regards to a longer term recovery.
“All the other lads that had been absent are now back in full training which is a huge positive.”
An assessment of Sutton United…
“They’re a really strong side and very similar to last season. They get the ball forward well and have some really good attacking threats and players with guile.
“Will Randall I know very well from coaching him in the Swindon Town youth setup and he’s a good player. He likes to play off the left and come in on his right foot, posing a real threat, so we’ll have to be aware of that.
“Equally, Rob Milsom gets forward well and can cause a lot of problems. Sutton put a lot of balls into the box and also like to nullify the space, squeezing the line well, so we’re anticipating a very difficult game, as most are at this level.”
“I think Sutton’s style is effective, but you do come across a lot of teams like them in League Two that are in your face, aggressive and direct, so it won’t be easy to break them down.
“Harry Beautyman and Craig Eastmond are threats in the middle too and good on the ball, so although we’re expecting a tough challenge, it’s one we are ready for and looking forward to.”
Scott on loan deals for Oscar Massey and Harrison Minturn…
“These are good moves for both players in my view, and really important given there aren’t many first-team opportunities for them at present with the squad depth we have.
“Also, the Papa John’s Trophy games aren’t too regular, so getting out on loan in a tough division will benefit them both greatly and give them some valuable minutes.
“The National League South and North are both demanding divisions. Harrison will be travelling more which is another important part of his learning. He’ll be with Gloucester three mornings a week and training with us in between.
“Oscar’s challenge is slightly different as he will train on Monday and Tuesday nights, and will then be back with us on the days he’s not with them.
“This is good because it enables us to monitor their progress as we don’t just want to send lads out on loan and forget about them as it’s not how we work.
“It’s vital we monitor them while continuing to help them grow, and we’ll be going to watch them at every opportunity.”
