When the full-time whistle blew at the Crown Ground and confirmed Swindon’s win over Accrington Stanley, I was hopeful an eleven-day break would be an advantage, but within six minutes of Saturday’s game, my hopes were dashed.
Possibly, an extended break would give time for injured players to return, or those players who play every week a needed rest, but with an unchanged side in front of a sold-out away end, Town put on their worst performance of the season.
The biggest disappointment of the afternoon was the three men in midfield.
George McEachran, Saidou Khan, and Liam Kinsella all put in much-improved performances against Mansfield and Accrington, as the change in shape looked to have turned the tide, but all three on Saturday were anonymous as the home side bossed the entire 90 minutes.
Apart from a short spell in the second half, Town never looked like getting anything from the game, and the home side took advantage and fully deserved the points.
Every fan accepts their team can have an off day, but the timing couldn’t be worse as after a draw and two wins, it seemed the tide was turning on our season, but this feels like a big step backward.
This performance will make Michael Flynn look forward to New Year’s Day even more, as he finally gets a chance to reinforce his depleted squad.
But we know when 2024 arrives, that will spell the end of Jake Young’s time at the County Ground.
It’s not been confirmed, but after enjoying the best goalscoring spell of his career, we expect Bradford to recall their striker.
When that time comes, the Town Faithful will need some renewed hope for the upcoming months of the season, a new striker will be expected to be in place by the following weekend when Colchester Utd visits the County Ground, and throughout the month, every area of the squad apart from the keepers needs new blood.
When looking at Dan Kemp, the situation is different with his contract coming to an end in the summer, if Clem Morfuni doesn’t get his cheque book out and do all he can to secure Kemp’s signature, he’ll be facing more pressure from a fan base already at boiling point.
Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge the outgoing Trust STFC Chairman Steve Mytton, who announced last week he would be stepping down from the post early next year.
Since taking on the role, Steve has made a big impact not only on the Trust, but Swindon Town Football Club, as he increased interest in the Trust within the fan base, and spearheaded all the work over many years on the County Ground now being in the hands of the fans and the football club.