THE next three games will determine whether Swindon can turn this season from being a great one to one that is remembered for years to come by fans and players alike, according to Paolo Di Canio.

Town host Torquay tonight where a win would see them increase their advantage at the top of League Two, before they head to Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final on Sunday and then host local rivals Bristol Rovers six days later.

Win all three games and not only will Swindon be on the cusp of securing promotion back to League One but they would also have collected their first silverware of the season.

Town fans still remember fondly promotion seasons under Lou Macari and Glenn Hoddle and Di Canio would love for this campaign to illicit the same kind of memories in years to come.

“Now we have three games where they don’t need their manager to encourage them,” the 43-year-old told the Advertiser.

“Tonight, it is first against second then we have Wembley and then we have Bristol Rovers, which is a local derby.

“The next three games can give us a fantastic moment, not just for this season but also our life.

“Maybe in 10 years time and one or more of the players here play in the Premier League they could come back here and be celebrated on the pitch for what they achieved this season.

“I live for this. In 10 years and I am maybe manager of Barcelona, I want to be able to remember that I started here and did something special and then when I leave I have given very good memories to the fans.

“Then when I want to come back here I too can have a fantastic reception because what was achieved remains in the fans’ memories.

“For this my job becomes psychological because even though these players are young I want to be able to leave the message in their brains regarding what they could achieve.”

Town were defeated in the league for only the second time this year on Saturday as they lost 2-0 at Crewe.

The players were far from at their best for much of the game but Di Canio has been happy with their response since then and is confident they put things right with a result against Torquay tonight.

“The players feel the responsibility and that makes me feel happy,” he added. “We are always thinking together and we all agreed about Saturday without anyone who was sad or hesitated over my words.

“They want to move forward together again and it is a positive sign for me. They know how we have to move forward and that is what makes me confident we will have a good performance tonight.”

Torquay have the chance to the do the double over Town after Martin Ling’s side beat them 1-0 at Plainmoor on Boxing Day.

But that loss provoked a positive from response from the Swindon players as they embarked on a 10-match winning in the league that propelled them to the top of the standings.

“The Torquay defeat helped us in some way because I was tough with my players and since that day we showed the spirit and desire to win, even in a rough game like we had against Northampton,” he said.

“I want to thank Torquay, because they brought out the fire from us, but I want us to beat them tonight as I don’t want them to be able to say they beat us twice if we go up.

“If we win tomorrow we will have a fantastic advantage for the future because we will play Sunday full of confidence because we will be far from the other teams.”

Di Canio will decide today whether to bring Paul Caddis back into the side, although hinted that he may play it safe and give the Scot a few more days to recover.

Nathan Thompson remains sidelined through injury, meaning either Alan McCormack or Joe Devera will fill in at right-back.