Swindon target first win

SWINDON Town welcome Salford City to The County Ground today (3pm) in their first home game of the new League Two campaign.

Scott Lindsey’s side were beaten 3-0 at Harrogate in last weekend’s opening game but the head coach expects a reaction from his players.

In yesterday’s pre-match press conference, he said: “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, 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.”

On squad availability for today’s game, he said Ellis Iandolo would remain out injured for a number of weeks and he was set to assess Reece Devine who suffered “a slight knock” in midweek training.

“On selection, Lindsey said: “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.”

On Salford, who beat Mansfield 2-0 last week, he said: “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.”