CALLUM Kennedy is determined to ensure that he remains Swindon Town’s first-choice left-back after being entrusted with that role by boss Paolo Di Canio this season.

After loan spells at Gillingham and Rotherham United during the 2010/11 campaign, the 21-year-old returned to the County Ground and forced his way into the side.

And despite Kennedy feeling that he did not play to the best of his ability in the defeats against Cheltenham Town and Dagenham & Redbridge, Di Canio has kept him in the starting 11.

“It’s a brilliant feeling to know that a manager and player of his calibre thinks that you’re good enough to play even once,” said Kennedy.

“But obviously it comes with responsibility because you need to keep his opinion of you high, you need to make sure you stay on top of your game and playing well so that he continues to pick you week in, week out.

“I’m only 21, but I’m old enough that I’ve been around for a couple of years already and I want to be playing week in, week out, so I know that my whole game has to improve.

“We train at a high intensity and we’re learning in training as well, but there is nothing like match practise and playing games.

“Even getting used to the everyday ritual of what you do before a game, the morning of the game, and just getting into a routine you feel more and more comfortable with every game that comes.

“You know that you’re learning and picking up things and if you make a mistake you know for next time that you were in the wrong position et cetera.”

Kennedy featured in the midweek Carling Cup upset against Bristol City and has urged the Robins to take that form into tomorrow’s League Two trip to Shrewsbury Town.

Graham Turner’s side also pulled off a cup giant-killling of their own by knocking out Premier League side Swansea City on Tuesday evening.

Swindon have not won in the league since the opening day of the season, and Kennedy said: “We now need to take what we did at Bristol City into the game and we’ve got to start getting back to winning ways in the league, and hopefully kick on.

“It’s not going to be easy to go anywhere in League Two and get the points.

“They won against Swansea just as we got a good result and they’ll be on the same sort of confidence that we are, but we have to go there and make sure we win.

“We need the three points and it’s going to be tough, but we know that if we apply ourselves right in the way we did at Bristol then I’m sure we will be all right.”