De Vita predicts unattractive clash at Stevenage (From Swindon Advertiser)

SWINDON TOWN: De Vita predicts unattractive clash at Stevenage

6:00am Friday 26th October 2012 in STFC News By Sam Morshead

RAFFA De Vita doesn’t think tomorrow’s clash at Stevenage will be pretty as Swindon Town look to get back to winning ways.

Two draws and a defeat from their last three matches hardly provides the Robins with momentum going into the meeting with high-flying Boro at Broadhall Way, and De Vita openly admitted that the Town squad have been disappointed with their collective performances of late.

However, with the Stevenage game kick-starting a busy period of important matches, both in the league and on two cup fronts, the former Livingston man thinks it is about time Swindon start grinding out results.

“If we look at the performances they’ve not been as good as we know we can play,” he said. “We are seventh and some people can look at it and say ‘they’ve just been promoted and they’re seventh in the league’ but it’s not good enough from us.

“The way we have been playing lately has not been great even though we were unbeaten for a while up until the game against Crewe.

“The first thing is the performance and that’s what the manager always wants. The second half was better than the last few games but we need to stop conceding goals that can be avoided.

“There’s many things we have to improve on - going forward and defending - and we’re doing that.

“Stevenage have done really well. The gaffer said they’re a really big side and they’re going to make it hard for us.

“We don’t expect a pretty game. They’re not going to be like Crewe who put the ball down and try to play it all the time. We just have to do our job as we can do.

“When we control games we end up playing well and winning.

“It’s a lot of games and most of the players like it because you get on with the games.

“It’s going to be exciting but at the same time we have to start focusing on playing and resting which isn’t easy at times.”

While manager Paolo Di Canio continues to publicly lament the fact that he is still restricted by the terms of a transfer embargo, De Vita insisted that the stress of dealing with the limitations enforced by the Football League does not reverberate through the playing staff.

“It doesn’t really bother us,” he said. “The only thing we don’t want is what the gaffer says, that we relax because we know there’s no one coming in to take our places.

“Everyone’s got to be on their toes and the manager would be free to put the young boys in if we don’t perform so everybody will be concentrating on doing a job.”