SWINDON Town must be prepared for a true footballing test when they take on Salford City in League Two on Saturday, according to Robins boss, Jody Morris.

Town head up to the Peninsula Stadium looking to claim three points for the first time under their new boss at the fourth attempt.

If they are to taste victory, Swindon must turn their table-topping average possession statistic into meaningful output against a team that – sitting in third for possession and sixth for points – has managed to do both more efficiently this term.

Previewing Salford and explaining the type of test he expects his team to undertake in Greater Manchester, Morris said: “We better be prepared for a team that wants to play football and might – in a different way – make us work harder to get the ball back.

“Against teams like Sutton and Newport, it’s about having to compete and picking up second-balls, whereas Salford have a bit more of a mixture to their game.

“They can punish us a lot more if we’re not compact and willing to get up to the ball.

“Each team gives you a different challenge, but I would certainly say that Salford could pose us more of a problem from a footballing aspect.”

Salford’s high-possession game is perhaps surprising on a surface which Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver recently described as “the worst in the Football League” following the Sulphurites 1-1 draw.

Morris insists his team may have struggled to play their preferred style on even the best of pitches since he arrived and would not be drawn into making pre-game excuses about external factors.

Morris said: “With the time we’re at in the season and the level we’re at, we’re going to encounter pitches that aren’t great and we’ve got to deal with it.

“They definitely try to play the ball around on the floor more than a lot of other teams, and their home form is up there with the best in the league, so they certainly seem to be dealing with it alright.

“And, at the moment, you could say that even if we were playing at Wembley, we might have struggled to pass the ball a few times.

“If there are bobbles and things are going wrong, I don’t mind holding your hands up and saying that’s a bit unlucky.

“But at the moment, I wouldn’t be blaming some of our performances on pitches, so I won’t start having a pop at Salford’s before we even get on it.”