Swindon Town boss Michael Flynn was extremely pleased with his side’s performance in their 3-1 win against Championship side Plymouth Argyle - but demands that standard to be the minimum for their upcoming League Two campaign.
Swindon ended their pre-season schedule in style on Saturday, with two quickfire second-half goals by Dan Kemp and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and a third late on from Jacob Wakeling securing an impressive victory.
Speaking after the game, Flynn shared his thoughts on Town’s pre-season finale, as they gear up for the return of domestic football.
“I just wish it was a league game because we were exceptional today”, said the Town manager.
“I know it was probably a slow first 20 minutes, but we stuck to the game plan. The players went one-for-one against a very good team who won League One last season.
“I was very proud of them today, but the only thing they’ve shown is that this is the minimum I expect from them because they were superb.
“They stuck to their roles and responsibilities that we’ve been working on with the patterns of play when we got to the final third.”
“The main thing was that we won the game, and I just wish it was next Saturday and we were getting three points for that performance."
Flynn was full of praise for his entire squad, but in particular, goal-scorer Dan Kemp and academy graduate Harrison Minturn.
“I think you’ve seen [Kemp’s quality], he scored a great goal and could have had a hat-trick.
"He finds pockets of space and the link between the midfield and the strikers. The rotation with him, George [McEachran] and Saidou [Khan] is something we’ve been working on, it was very pleasing to see.
“Everyone thinks we single out the main players so to speak, but I’ve just told Harrison [Minturn] that performance is where he’s got to be, because one or two games I’ve not been happy with him, and he knows that.
“Today he really stepped up to the plate and he’s shown that he can be relied on, but that’s got to be a consistent thing because I don’t want one good game and two bad ones.”
The 42-year-old admitted he is relishing the thought of making his entrance to a packed-out County Ground for Town’s home opener on August 12th against Crewe Alexandra, and hopes the supporters will continue to get behind his men like they did on Saturday.
“I’m excited, I can’t wait to get going, I know it wasn’t a full house here today, but they were loud, and they enjoyed it, that’s what I want them to do.
“I want the fans get behind us, if they see them do what they did today, there’s going to be a lot more good days than bad.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel