SWINDON Town assistant manager Ben Futcher believes the contrasting fortunes of the three teams relegated from League One last season demonstrates how well the club have done this season.

Town were one of four sides to take the drop from League One last year, along with mid-table Coventry, struggling Port Vale and tomorrow’s opponents Chesterfield.

David Flitcroft’s side currently occupy sixth in the League Two standings, while Neil Aspin’s Port Vale - beaten 3-2 in Wiltshire last weekend - are down in 19th and Jack Lester’s Spireites are fighting to avoid a second relegation in as many years, this time out of the English Football League.

Futcher believes the struggles of those who joined them through the League One trapdoor last season shows up Town’s current campaign in a positive light, while demonstrating how competitive the bottom tier is this season.

“They (Chesterfield) are a big threat. I think they beat Luton not long ago. They came down with Port Vale and Swindon last year and I think they found it difficult to adapt, as Port Vale have done. I think it just shows how well we’ve done at Swindon to get where we have got,” said Futcher.

“When you look at the teams who got relegated last year they are really struggling to pick up points. I’m sure when they came down last season, they were in a strong position with their squads, who had been in for six months, and they find themselves in the bottom two.

“It shows how difficult it is to regroup when you have been relegated. There’s that kind of stigma around the club.

“We can’t take for granted where we are, just because it’s Swindon Town.

“People underestimate what has gone on at this football club in the last eight months, so to turn it around like it has been done is a fantastic achievement for everybody concerned.

“I’ve said to the lads that it shows what sort of positive job they’ve done to lift that cloud from Swindon and get us up at the top end of the table.”

While their opponents may be languishing at the wrong end of the table, Futcher says Swindon will have be wary of the Derbyshire side.

“We always set up the same, to go for three points and that won’t be changing at Chesterfield,” he added.

“It’s a really tight division and it’s on the day. We played them at home when the new manager had just come in and I think they had a little surge at that point.

“Results haven’t gone as well recently so we’ll be looking to capitalise on that but we’re under no illusions.

“They were in League One with Swindon last year, have signed some good, experienced players, so we’ll be knowing what the threats are.”