TOWN boss Mark Cooper is playing a balancing act with tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash with Newport County.

For the second year in succession, Swindon travel to South Wales for the first round of the Football League Trophy again having just played Sheffield United at home. However, this time around things are rather different.

For a start Town came in off a win last year and secondly their squad is rather thinner. Last year Cooper made his maximum five changes, but was able to bring in the likes of Andy Williams and Jake Reeves.

For tonight’s game his list of options to bring in are more youthful and less experienced. The return of Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill will be a boost, and makes one of those five changes easier to predict, but the team will be without internationals Jordan Williams, Yaser Kasim and Jordan Stewart.

Bradley Barry or Lee Marshall could also get their first starts of the season. The unavailability of Kasim necessitates Kevin Stewart’s move back into midfield, leaving the right-back slot open, or Marshall being given a chance to deputise for the Iraqi.

Aside from that the rest of the make-up of the side will be based on Cooper weighing up whether he wants to try and guarantee progress by choosing more first teamers or take a risk with the youngsters.

“We’re only allowed to change five players,” Cooper told the local media. “We want to try and win the game and what we don’t want to do is put the players in if they’re not ready and destroy them.

“We want to make sure if we are going to put them in they’re ready. We also want to level it out as well and progress to the next round.

“It’s definitely a competition we want to go far in. It’s a chance for us to get to Wembley again. If you can get to Wembley in that competition and win it, it’s great.

“It’s got to be a team that can go and win the game, we’ve got pick a team that has got a chance to win.”

With the expected departure Miles Storey Cooper has to stick with Michael Smith up front until his other injured strikers return.

The Town boss offered a staunch defence of Smith when asked about him and promised to continue working with him to restore his confidence.

“It’s difficult for him the way we play,” added the Town boss. “He doesn’t get a lot of the ball and when it does come to him he is expected to get hold of it, beat three people and score a goal. Otherwise everyone thinks he’s a rubbish player.

“I’ve got every faith in him. We’ll keep working with him and get him back to his best.”