THEY may have finished fourth for a second successive season, but Swindon boss Neil Loader insisted his side made plenty of progress during the 2012/13 season.

The Greenbridge Road club won 17 of their 26 matches in what turned out to be Loader’s final season at the helm, and were right in the mix to secure third place in South West 1 East until a last-gasp defeat away at Cheltenham knocked them out the running in the final weeks of the season.

Despite not making any visible progress in the league table, Loader pointed to his side’s improved record and points difference to highlight the upward curve the club continue to move on.

“We had a pretty successful season even though we finished in the same position as last year, but we improved our record and won three more games which was a big thing for us,” he said.

“We conceded less points, and we also scored more, so all in all there were a lot of positives for us. We didn’t get quite so many losing bonus points, but we converted a lot of those narrow losses into wins.

“It was pleasing because we have always looked to keep improving and move forward to the next step, and the guys are not too far away from pushing for third place.

“Had we not lost away at Cheltenham we would have been right in there, and it was that close for us.”

Swindon recruited heavily during the off-season, and Loader was impressed with the way the new players took to life in South West 1 East.

“Seven of our players ended up in the county team, and it could have been nine, and that is very impressive because I don’t remember the last time that happened,” he said.

“We made some decent signings over the summer, and three of them made a massive difference including Dan McCarthy and Gary Williamson from Wootton Bassett, as well as Sam Wells.

“The three of them have had a huge influence, and Gary in particular was superb because he is very strong and can carry the ball well too.

“Sam is a very dangerous runner in midfield and a good defender, and then there are the experienced players like Adam Westall who is always going to be very important to the team.

“Jordan Sheppard too has been a really dangerous finisher for us, and scored some really important tries at important times.”

After destroying High Wycombe at home on the opening day Swindon travelled to Marlow for their first away game, and the 41-19 success in Buckinghamshire was a game in which Loader believes his side showed what they were all about.

“Marlow away was a really important game for us because we set our stall out and showed what we were going to do in the season, and the boys were incredible that day which makes it the one win that really sticks out in my mind,” he said.

“The loss which chokes us the most was Cheltenham away, and although there were a couple of others which we were very hurt by, if we could have beaten Cheltenham we would have been right in with a chance of finishing third.”