THERE is no other message that needs to be said ahead of this weekend other than, get down to the County Ground this to see in a new era at Swindon Town.

It’s as simple as that. Whatever your views were of the club heading into the summer break, leave them at the door and give the club another chance.

It may be said that some fans, myself included, are too quick to forgive and forget, however, there will be little resemblance between the side that walked out against Scunthorpe and the one tomorrow.

Having been starved of football for more than two months, with not even a pre-season game at the County Ground to, albeit temporarily, stave off the hunger, many Town fans - the 500-plus hardy souls that went to Carlisle excepted - are ravenous for their first fix of 3pm football this Saturday.

Many are chomping at the bit to get back into their normal pre-match rituals before taking their seats, lungs full with chants for those who could become the subject of pub stories passed down the generations.

There is no doubting that there is a new, positivity about the club this season, the last campaign condemned to the darkest corner of the room.

Not only has the appointment of David Flitcroft brought about that fresh atmosphere, but so has the complete turnover in playing personnel, with 11 players who could be making their first steps onto the pitch Marcus Cassidy has so lovingly crafted through the close season for the first time.

The apparent change in tack from chairman Lee Power has also pricked the ears of many, those who were ready to confine Saturday afternoons in the stands to the depths of their memory, opting to do that work on the garden they have been putting off for so long, or getting dragged around the shops by their better half instead.

While the 10 players coming before him were welcome additions well before the season had started, the arrival of Kaiyne Woolery and the price tag he came with really set tongues wagging that the new approach may not just be stuff of fiction, with the club apparently digging deep to beat off interest from three other League Two clubs.

And, to be fair to Power, it’s not the first time he has invested in potential, dipping into the piggy bank last summer to secure the services of Lawrence Vigouroux for £400,000 was not a penny scrimping move either.

With a reported £2million playing budget available for their attempt to make an immediate return to League One, Swindon will be up there in the budget stakes this term to help win over a few more of those who were staying away.

That, coupled with two encouraging opening performances to this season has made the thought of a Saturday fast approaching all the more bearable, not something to dread with anticipation like last year.

So, to those not quite won over just yet, dust off that shirt you may have hung up last season, vowing to never wear again, don the lucky pants that you thought may have lost their magic last term and join in with the spirit of the Great Western Reds as they reveal their new tifo.

This team deserves a chance – and deserves your support.