Swindon Town's Strong Pre-Season Form a Lesson in Discipline and Depth Swindon Town continued to show some impressive form in pre-season as they defeated Richie Wellens' Leyton Orient 2-1. With only one game remaining before competitive football begins, what did we learn about Swindon?
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This team looks very well-drilled without the ball, Ian Holloway’s team were handed a stern set of challenges in pre-season, facing sides from the Premier League, Championship, League One, and National League. In the first of those three tests, Swindon have looked right at home against teams fielding players they could hardly dream of having in their own starting line-up.
With a slightly less mobile front three for this game, it was not the all-out press we saw in the previous two matches, but Town sat in a sturdy mid-block, not allowing any passes through the middle, and looked to apply pressure when poor touches arose. Millard was in charge of most of the running and twice made Nathan Baxter look like he was wearing clown shoes when trying to play out, whilst Virtue looked especially sharp when winning the ball back. Both goals came from turnovers around the halfway line, and, for an hour, Connor Ripley was rarely within sight of the ball.
What has become apparent in the last few weeks is that essentially every player looks comfortable with their assignment and has been able to perform it well.
Is the time now for Louis Millard? Regular readers of the player ratings will know that Millard has impressed me this summer, turning in solid displays whenever he has been on the pitch. Against Orient, he was handed a start with so many attacking options out of the picture and clasped it with both hands, looking like the best attacking player on the pitch in a game that included a man wanted by most of the Championship. Holloway’s system revolves around having pace in forward areas, and he certainly offered that, consistently making intelligent runs in behind and driving Swindon up the pitch. Millard has an awareness of space that is quite rare for a player of his age, capable of picking his moments and bursting into gaps. Now, looking good in pre-season and being ready for senior football are two very separate things, and the hope would be that more players arrive and he only gets minutes if he earns them. But he has shown a lot of promise this summer, and will hopefully be a Vertu Trophy regular in the Autumn.
Signings are needed… and fast We certainly live in a world that revolves too much around transfers, and some see them as the only solution to everything. However, when you are entering the final friendly of the summer with the possibility of only having 13 fit senior players, transfers probably are the only solution. The one major caveat with each of Swindon’s impressive performances in the last three games has been “until the substitutions.” Whilst Millard, Lucas Griffiths-Brown, and Ben Head have all looked tidy
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 9th in League Two, 75 pts, 22W-9D-15L from 46 games, recent form LLDLW.
Goals this season: 70 scored, 59 conceded (+11 goal difference).
Title race: 12 points behind leaders Bromley.
Next fixture: vs Grimsby (away, 2027-02-27) (7th in the table).
