Swindon Town are preparing to use the final game of pre-season against Wycombe Wanderers as something of a dress rehearsal ahead of the start of the League Two season.

The real football gets underway next Friday live on Sky Sports+ as Town take on reigning National League champions and the bookmakers’ favourites for the League Two title this season, Chesterfield, in a daunting opening fixture.

There has been some cause for optimism during pre-season as Mark Kennedy’s side have won four of their six matches and will have one final chance to add to that at the Nigel Eady County Ground as they take on League One Wycombe.

It will be the first opportunity for the home support to get a glimpse of the ten new signings, including the latest addition of Joel Cotterill on loan from Swansea City, as the team looks to continue to gel with the opening day of the season looming large.

 

 

With this being the final chance for Kennedy to get his team prepared for their opening match at the SMH Group Stadium, the preparation for the match will be used to mirror what happens once the competitive action starts.

Marcus Bignot said that whilst Town would not be giving everything away, they would be treating the match like a league match.

He said: “Wycombe are in League One and nine times out of ten they are in the playoffs, other than last year, so it is going to be a really difficult challenge for us, but one we are looking forward to.

“It is not quite a normal week at the beginning, because playing today [last Sunday at Eastleigh], the starters will be affected with what we can do with them tomorrow [Monday].

“But certainly our two-day lead going into Wycombe on Thursday and Friday will be the norm in terms of what the players will get used to.

“It will be nice to play in front of our home supporters, it is our first chance to see them and for them to see us, so I am really looking forward to it.

“We are getting closer and closer now, so everything falls in line in terms of how you want that week leading into Chesterfield to look.

“Look, we won’t show all of our hand against Wycombe, we would be naïve to do that, but it will be 90 per cent of what it looks like going into Chesterfield.”