SKIPPER Andy Staff says Swindon are happy to play the long game when it comes to tasting success again.

Swindon have struggled for consistency so far this summer and have won four and lost four of their 10 league matches and are down in sixth in the table, a long way off contending for promotion.

The County Ground side have chosen to blood in a host of young players this term and although Staff understands that fluctuating fortunes on the field is always likely to go hand-in-hand with that selection policy, he is sure that Swindon are on the right path.

“We are a young side. We have two guys over 30 and the rest of the team are 26 and under. We are a new side and a lot of guys haven’t played this level of cricket for all that long,” said Staff.

“I think the club is going through a consolidation period at the moment – I think we have got five guys in the XI who haven’t played at this level before.

“We are inexperienced and with inexperience comes mistakes but we are learning. We are good enough to win games but we can’t do it on a consistent basis at the moment.

“We are not there right now but I think in two or three years the club will have a side good enough to win the league.

“And what we have got is a team, we’ve got XI players. A lot of sides we play are reliant on three or four guys and although we may not have the wonder players that they do, we have got 11 good players who all play their part.”

Swindon were beaten by local rivals Purton last time out but have a good chance to get back to winning ways on Saturday as they host second-from-bottom Devizes, who have won just once so far this season.

With a trip to third-from-bottom Great Bedwyn then waiting the following weekend, Staff is eager for a decent run to build some much-needed confidence within his side.

“We have Devizes and Great Bedwyn as our next two games and those are games we have to look at to win,” said Staff.

“We are mid-table right now and we know we are not going to go up and we are not going to go down and that allows us to give these young guys a chance.”