Swindon are looking to bounce straight back up to League One after The Robins were relegated to League Two. Here are five things Town must do to ensure that they win promotion from League Two.
1.) Sign more attackers
As it stands Swindon only have two strikers. These two strikers are Luke Norris and Paul Mullin but both don’t boast the best goalscoring ratio. Swindon needs a target man who is going to be on the end of crosses from loanee Chris Hussey. While Luke Norris is classed as a target man he only scored six goals last season.
Swindon have currently got Jordan Slew on trial. The striker stands at 6 foot 3 inches. Therefore he would be the perfect player to get on the end of crosses. Slew is also good with his feet which would benefit Town.
However, Swindon need alot more wingers as well as it looks like Town could line up with wingers next year. Zavon Hines has been given a trial with the club however, he has failed to impress with his previous clubs.
Donal McDermott has also been given a trial with the club. McDermott rejected a contract with Rochdale last season and if Town could sign him it would be a massive coup considering how many clubs are rumoured to be interested in him.
2.) Swindon must have a Plan B
For the past couple of seasons, Swindon have not had a Plan B. The Reds must have one as over a period of time they will come up against an opponent which will find it easy to play against their original plan.
When the patient passing football worked for most of the 2014-15 season it worked wonders, however, in the latter stages of the season Swindon were being found out. Because Swindon didn’t have a Plan B they dropped valuable points and had to settle for play-offs.
While it looks like Swindon have ditched the patient passing way they still need a Plan B to help them when the original plan doesn’t work.
3.) Learn how to grind out results
In recent years Town have let leads slip and they have crumbled far too often. To win promotion from League Two you need to be able to grind out results.
New boss David Flitcroft was good at this with Bury in League Two. However, he will need to coach the team on how to grind out results. When Flitcroft was with Bury in League Two The Shakers won eight games by a goal deficit. This just goes to show that you must be good at grinding out results to gain promotion whether they are 0-0 away draws or 1-0 home wins.
4.) Make the County Ground a fortress
Under Paolo Di Canio the County Ground was a difficult place to go to win. However, in recent years this hasn’t been the case. Teams have found it easy to win points at the County Ground and it has become a fairly easy place to win at.
Swindon must make the County Ground a fortress again. If the home form is good the Swindon fans will get behind the side and it becomes a scary place to go for away teams. However, if results don’t go well the atmosphere can turn very hostile and away teams can use this to their advantage.
If Town can get the fans on their side the County Ground will become a fortress again and it will be difficult for any League Two team to win there.
5.) Try to keep injuries to a minimum
Obviously, it is difficult to go a whole season without some injuries but in recent times Swindon always seem to get more injuries than other sides. Injuries have also affected Swindon at crucial times. Last season the presence of Nathan Thompson really hurt Town.
If Swindon want to gain promotion from League Two they’re going to need to keep their best players fit. It may be down to training and if this is the case then the coaching methods need to be evaluated. Because if injuries keep happening at crucial times to crucial players it could be the reason why Swindon don’t gain promotion.
