Swindon Town kick off the 2008/09 League One campaign with the visit of Tranmere Rovers this Saturday.
Vital Quotes:
‘I am desperate for people to be desperate to play but they have to realise it is a team game. Some weeks they will play, some weeks they won’t. We have a few days to go, the boys are looking forward to it and personally I can not wait to get started.
‘I think the fans are looking forward to it, so let’s get into battle, play with the same enthusiasm, determination and organisation we played with in pre-season and see where it takes us.’
Swindon Town boss Maurice Malpas
‘Let’s get off with a win. That’s what we want. We want that first win under our belts.
‘The first two games are going to be so important to us, that we get something out of Swindon then go to Grimsby and win.’
Tranmere Rovers Boss Ronnie Moore
Swindon Town Team News:
Swindon Town are one of the favourites for many people to face the drop this season. Town had a superb home record last season and will look to get off to a good start in front of a large home crowd at the County Ground. Town’s new signing Yinka Casal will not feature whilst defender Kevin Amankwaah will face a late fitness test going into the match.
Player to watch: Simon Cox
Cox has declared himself fit and will be looking to get off to a good start. Cox is tipped by many to be near the top of the League One scoring charts this season.
Tranmere Rovers Team News:
Rovers finished 11th last season and 12 points off the playoff places. Tranmere signed 5 players during the off season including former Town player Gareth Edds on a free from MK Dons. Luke Waterfall joins the team from Championship side Barnsley after a successful trial period. Chris Shuker could miss the big kick off with a muscle injury.
Player to watch: Chris Greenacre
Greenacre scored 17 goals for Tranmere last season including a goal against Swindon Town in Rovers 2-1 over Town last season at Prenton Park.
Match Facts & Stats
Swindon Town have a lifetime 21-15-20 record against Rovers. Town won the home game 1-0 last season with Barry Corr scoring for the Robins, whilst Rovers won the away fixture 2-1. Billy Paynter scored Town’s loan goal in that game.
Match Prediction:
A difficult match to predict given the fact we have yet to see how Tranmere perform this season. Being a home game we will go with a 2-1 home win for Swindon.
Next Fixtures:
Carling Cup Round One: Swindon Town V Queens Park Rangers, Tuesday 12 August 2008, 7:45pm kick off at the County Ground.
