Swindon Town - View

Swindon Town find themselves in fine form, however a small blip to the hands of Cheltenham Town in the F.A Cup saw them knocked out having conceded 5 goals and scoring none in the process. However, the Robins have picked up some very impressive victories so far this season.

Pride of Nottingham have taken the time to catch up with resident Robins fan medievalmickey, he's kindly answered our questions.

Firstly, could you remind prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Swindon Town fan?

I am closing in on 69th birthday and was taken to 01st match at the County Ground, by my Granddad, when I was around 7 years old. I stood at the Town End and could just about peer over the fence. I remember seeing youthful Terry Paine play for Southampton and a Reading winger named De’ath which amused me somewhat.

I watched Trowbridge Town in Southern League during mid 60s but started watching Swindon Town again during late 70s and have watched regularly for the last 30 years. I am now philosophical about football and am no longer embittered by the inevitable defeats. “Girlfriend said that it was fun even though the others won” as sung by Half Man Half Biscuit is fine by me.

2nd in the league, things are looking good for the Robins - Did you think you would be in this position at this stage in the season and do you think you could win the League One title?

I did not think we would be this high in the table and thought 5th or 6th would be as good as it could be. A lot was made of our Tottenham feeder club status and three loanees left at end of last season and all are playing at a higher level this. Tim Sherwood is no longer at Spurs so this arrangement has faded away but our Chairman, Lee Power, has forged links with Southampton and Norwich.

Peterborough United, Bristol City, Preston, Barnsley, Sheffield United and Bradford City - All teams Swindon Town have defeated so far this season. How do you feel about having beaten these sides and which stand out to you?

We were said to have a tough November and lost early on to MK Dons and then subsequently thrashed by Cheltenham Town in FA Cup. In between we beat Preston at home and then defeated Bristol City, Peterborough United and Fleetwood Town. The Bristol City result was most pleasing because where we live is biased towards them and local media was full of Steve Cotterill’s bitter outbursts.

It's hard to see a weakness within a side doing so well, however do you have any concerns? Do you feel there is any need to strengthen in January, if so where and why? If not care tell why this is?

Apart from Andy Williams we are unlikely to field any player over 23 years of age so inconsistency is a real concern. We are guilty of “overplaying”, losing a sense of purpose and having no Plan B. Mark Cooper has worked hard on this and I think we are now more focused. We are likely to lose a player or two before any strengthening can be made in January. Swindon Town supporters now generally trust Lee Power to do what is right for the Club and its ethos.

What does Football mean to you? Is there more to the game than rivalry and what do you like about the sport a way from Swindon Town?

I enjoy watching live football and cannot contemplate how I would fill the void should I be unable to watch Swindon Town. I abhor moronic behaviour by anyone connected to the match day experience. I know we will not win every game and am happy(?) to applaud the opposition when it is deserved. I am sure that if I sat down with Joe we would get on well because of our love of the game. Rivalry should be good natured banter with no malice. I like sport generally but find it more enjoyable if I want one team or player to win otherwise it is easy to lose interest.

Which Swindon Town players are currently in form and which of them stands out to you as the main threat to Notts County?

Our set up is about the team as a unit and there are no standout stars. Massimo Luongo and Yaser Kassim have become full internationals this year and are possibly headline names and, on their day, can boss any midfield. Defence is generally tight and all three main strikers have been among the goals. We field a mixture of Academy, loan and “plucked from non-league” players that have been blended into a team that works for one another and plays attractive football.

Who from the Notts squad do think could cause a threat and how would you set Swindon Town up on Saturday?

I do not know too much about Notts. County squad other than Ronan Murray who was on loan with us a couple of years back. I am impressed by your results in Shaun Derry’s first full season and would see a win for us as an excellent result. Mark Cooper is talking of possible defensive injuries for the weekend so will set the team up according to available players. You will see that we try to make the ball do the work and are happy use Wes Foderingham, the goalkeeper, as a sweeper.

Finally, how do you see the game going on Saturday? Could you please predict the Half and Full Time Scores, including goal scorers if possible?

Sorry Joe I will not tempt the gods of football and predict any scores. I should imagine it will be a tight game with little to choose …. which almost certainly guarantees any easy win for one of us.

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mickey for taking the time to answer our questions, we hope to see him around the site, enjoying our features and we wish Swindon all the best with their season ahead.