DAN THE FAN: Not the finish we want - yet

It’s incredible that this Sunday marks the end of the regular Football League season.

It’s been an all-round superb campaign for Swindon Town, but it’s a shame the last month has left such a bitter taste in the mouth.

After finishing March with three consecutive victories hopes were high amongst Town fans going into the key month of April.

With hindsight it’s clear any thoughts of automatic promotion were way off the mark, with both Preston and Franchise looking a step up from Town in nearly every department over the month.

Out of a possible twenty-four points Mark Cooper’s side collected just eight, a worrying amount considering how much was at stake.

It’s hard to pin point a moment when suddenly everything changed, but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be the two-week break at the start of April.

At the end of a season you need to keep playing games, especially if you’re fighting for something.

Different circumstances worked against us to leave a huge gap, which was one of the reasons for the wretched performance against Franchise.

Momentum seems to be the buzzword surrounding Town at the moment.

People have been quoting many different statistics surrounding the team’s form going into the playoffs, but for me, it’s just common sense. Winning breeds confidence.

Yes it’s an oversimplified way of looking at the situation, but it’s the simple truth.

Last weekend it was great to see some of Town’s potential stars of the future make it onto the big stage of professional football.

But away at second place in League One isn’t the time or place.

I totally see the point in resting key names that have played a lot of football this season, but you don’t make eight first team changes.

Winning, drawing or putting on a strong performance at the hardest place to get a result in League One puts down a marker to the other playoff sides in League One.

Success in the play-offs doesn’t fully rely on previous good form, but a convincing win this Saturday over Leyton Orient would give our young squad a much needed confidence boost going into these pivotal games.

Ever since the two defeats over Easter, Town’s young side has looked painfully short on confidence.

If they go behind there doesn’t seem to be the same fight that was present earlier in the season, but the one player who has emerged with confidence abounding in recent weeks has been Jermaine Hylton.

His cameo against Walsall turned that game in Swindon’s favour, and he also played a huge role on Tuesday night as Town came from a goal down to earn a point at Colchester.

But despite this and with our other three strikers painfully out of form, I would still keep him as our secret weapon from the bench in the playoffs.

It’s clear that missing out on a top two-spot has clearly had an effect on our young side, but they have to snap themselves out of it with the play-offs starting in just seven days.

Town will find out this weekend whether they will be facing either Sheffield United or Chesterfield in the play-off semi-finals, as the two sides meet with the Blades two points above the Spireites.

With Town offering good pricing for the home leg of the play-offs, it would be fantastic to see the County Ground packed and ready to roar Swindon into a place at Wembley.

Follow me on Twitter @danwjonson

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