Town look to make it two away wins on the bounce
Graham Alexander is hoping that the Cod Army can make it two away wins on the bounce when they face a long trip to Wiltshire on Saturday afternoon to take on Swindon Town.Their last trip on the road brought about three points thanks to Jeff Hughes’ late header at Yeovil Town a fortnight ago, which ended the Club’s run without a win away from home.
Mark Cooper’s Swindon side will be a different proposition for Alexander and his team though, with the Robins flying high in the league.
Recent wins against Preston North End, Bristol City and Peterborough United have lifted Swindon into second place, and Alexander admits his team are in for a challenge on Saturday.
He said: “In the league away from home we’ve been competitive in every single game this season, and they’ve all been fine margins.
“The frustration there is that we have to close these fine margins into non-existent gaps and we’re either winning games or drawing them.
“We’re constantly working and searching for what we can improve on to make sure we turn these fine margins into positives for us.
“Whatever we do from Monday to Friday we have to follow up on the Saturday, and that’s a target for us all.”
The manager was pleased with the impact his three substitutes made against Walsall last weekend, and stated that competition for places is healthy for his squad.
“We want more than 11 players scrapping for their position and showing the right qualities to be in the team, and I thought all three of them added to the performance.
“They improved our performance and gave us a chance of winning the game, and will definitely come into contention because that’s what we want.
“If players who are starting in the team don’t play to the standard they’ve set themselves, then they’re putting their place in the team in jeopardy. That’s the reality of professional football.
“If they look after themselves when they’re not playing in training and show the qualities that they’ve got, and then come into games and do that, then they’re putting themselves in a good position.”