PAUL Mullin insists Swindon Town’s four-match losing run is no cause for alarm and is backing his team-mates to put their recent troubles on home soil right this evening, writes NEIL BECK.

The forward believes there is still plenty of room for improvement for a Town side who will move to within striking distance of the League Two automatic promotion places with victory over Colchester United at the Energy Check County Ground.

And while the visitors from Essex arrive with exactly the same goal in mind, Mullin is confident the hosts have enough in their locker to turn up the heat on their promotion rivals – all of whom are in action at 3pm tomorrow.

Town lost to Grimsby Town and Newport County in the league at the end of November, before having their FA Cup and Checkatrade Trophy hopes dashed by Stevenage Borough and Forest Green Rovers respectively.

“Form is a big part of football but two of those games were in the cup,” said Mullin.

“Obviously that’s still disappointing but it’s not the main bread and butter, which is the league. If we win on Friday night then we go back up to fifth place the league and will only be two points off third. That’s where we want to be come the end of the season.

“It’s been a good start for us and now we just want to get even better if we can.

He added: “Stevenage was a bit of a freak game. We tried to create chances, which we did, but just kept conceding goals. We seemed to be so open as a team.

“We changed things against Forest Green and looked a very good side and were unlucky not to win the game. But in football, it’s all about results.”

The seven-goal striker was taken off with 21 minutes left during Town’s defeat to Forest Green but said the measure was only “precautionary” and would have been fit to face Accrington Stanley last Saturday.

That fixture was called off with the Town squad set to head to the Wham Stadium from their hotel.

“We’d travelled to the game, prepared and had our meal and were getting on the bus ready to go to the ground and it was obviously frustrating for it to be called off at the last minute,” said Mullin.

“We’ve just got to deal with it and get back to winning ways. You can’t affect the weather. Maybe the postponement could have been decided earlier but it’s just one of those things. We got some training in anyway and hopefully it’ll work out well for us.”

Having made more than 100 appearances for Morecambe before his summer switch to Wiltshire, Mullin is no stranger to League Two and is not surprised to see just six points separating third-placed Accrington and Newport, who lie in 12th.

Seven away wins from 10 outings have put Town in the promotion hunt heading into the Christmas period but the blot the players are all too aware of is a home record that already includes five defeats.

Mullin said: “We’ve found it hard to find the right formula because the way teams play at our place is different to the way they play at their place but, sure enough, we’ll get that right in the end and hopefully Friday is the start of that.

“Going forward we seem to be a good side. It’s just that sometimes, as a full team defensively, we aren’t quite there.

“We need to get it right at both ends of the pitch.”