Liam Kinsella believes that Swindon Town have the capability to win their end-of-year fixtures despite the injury crisis within the squad.
The Robins are missing a number of key players due to varying issues and named a bench with less than 40 outfield appearances combined in their tough defeat to Barrow last weekend.
They will face four matches in the space of 10 days come next weekend, playing Tranmere Rovers, Wrexham, Forest Green Rovers and ending with Crawley Town on New Year’s Day.
Michael Flynn’s side has started to stall following their red-hot start to the season, losing their last two games to Wimbledon and the Bluebirds in heavy losses.
Since the start of October, Swindon have only picked up 11 points from a possible 45, which has seen them slide down the table to 12th place.
Before the loss to Barrow, two more important players dropped out of the squad in Frazer Blake-Tracy and Tyrese Shade, with the former suffering a hamstring injury.
But despite missing eight first-team players, Kinsella is still confident in the squad to get wins in the next run of games.
Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser, the 27-year-old sent a rallying cry to his teammates, saying: “As a player you want to play as many games as possible, so I guess that when you have these injuries you know you are going to play, and you just have to go out there and give it your all.
“We have got a young bench and that is tough as maybe we won’t make as many subs as we would like to.
“It is going to be a tough period over the Christmas spell, but the starting 11 is good enough to go and win the games.
“It is a tough position to be in only having 12 players fit or however many it is, hopefully, the boys will be coming back from injury soon. Touch wood.
“We just have to work hard and try and grind out results and just try and get back to the formula we had at the start of the season.”
Writer’s View
Swindon Town have really struggled amidst their injury woes. It has all been going poorly for Michael Flynn’s side both on and off the pitch, attached with an embarrassing FA Cup loss to Aldershot. Ending Mansfield‘s unbeaten run and then taking a win on the road at Accrington, despite the shaky end are positive notes though. Playing three of the bottom four over the next five games is a great place to start to get a hefty chunk of points.
Losing a key player in Frazer Blake-Tracy is a big loss. Others like Harrison Minturn, despite only being 19, will need to step up and hold strong while he is out. Swindon have conceded the third most goals in League Two, and losing their best defender will be dire news to read for fans.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.