PHIL Brown believes the quality of the squad at his disposal merits playing in a higher division.

Brown, who’s been in charge at the County Ground for 11 days following the shock departure of David Flitcroft, spoke highly of his men ahead of this weekend’s trip to Exeter.

A timely 3-1 victory against Cambridge last weekend kept Swindon firmly in the pack of teams chasing promotion from League Two.

And with Exeter being one of those teams chasing promotion, Brown is gearing up for his first ‘six pointer’ since taking charge at Town.

He said: “I’ve been more than impressed with our lads when we’ve got the ball.

“With possession, the potency of this team is fantastic. It’s great to see.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to manager in every division. This is not, in my opinion, a second division team.

“It’s not just a new manager coming in, these guys have been playing with quality for the majority of their lives.”

The Swindon boss spoke of breaking down the ‘shackles’ that may have previously held the team back from earning additional points earlier in the season.

Brown’s men went two goals up at the Abbey Stadium before Marc Richards’ effort from the penalty spot minutes later re-established the visitors’ two-goal lead.

And it was Richards’ strike that defined Town’s ability to cope with pressure, according to Brown.

He added: “It’s up to me as a manager to take any shackles they have and get rid of them so they can express themselves.

“The best way to express themselves is to go into a game with a plan and making sure player one to 11 understands that game plan.

“If one to 10 understands, we’re a man down. If we’re two men down we’ll inevitably be a goal down, and then the shackles come back on.

“We allow the players to express themselves within the confines of the group and shape.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Swindon play on Saturday, maybe at the end of the season I can say it’s my team but at this moment in time I’m admiring the side when they’re playing.”

Though Town enter in high spirits, Brown remains more than aware of the quality of Saturday’s opposition.

Exeter have conceded just 10 league goals since the turn of the year, making them one of the strongest back four in the division.

“It’s going to be a difficult game,” said Brown.

“They’re looking for the same carrot at the end of it – three points and to be in the playoffs.

“They missed out last year, that will have hurt them. But they’ve been five years in this division and I know the manager (Paul Tisdale) very well. They want to get out of this league.”