Jack Thomson believes that Swindon Town have found a system that gets the best out of the squad in the last four matches.
Since shifting to a back three and a narrower forward line to assist Aaron Drinan, Swindon have gone undefeated in four games and have taken important wins over Barnet and Rotherham United.
Swindon also earned a clean sheet against Bristol Rovers and seem to have got over their shyness in front of goal, having scored six in four games since the move, compared to one in five beforehand.
The new shape sees Town rotate between a back three and a back four, allowing them to get out to wingers and also deal with crosses into the box, whilst also getting bodies around Drinan, so that he is not as isolated as he had been.
When asked about his experience of it, Thomson said that it felt a lot more natural for the players in their new roles, and that it was bringing the best out of them.
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He said: “I think the structure makes us a lot more compact; we are a lot more solid, but I think you've seen us create a lot more chances in the last few weeks.
“It's probably suiting the personnel we have, getting our best players in their best positions.
“I'm really enjoying it, and I think the other players are really enjoying it. It's not to say it will stay like that forever; you're obviously going to have to tweak things depending on the games, depending on circumstances. But I feel like we have found a structure that's suiting us now.”
Mitch Clark has previously said that he “enjoyed” the opportunity to play as a wing-back, and Kaelan Majekodunmi felt that Town’s defenders also work best in a back three.
Ian Holloway said that the solution was something that he came up with when looking at the players that were still available for him, and was similar to how he had initially changed the team to play around Harry Smith in 2024/25.
He said: “I think it's easier in training. They're more natural to those positions.
“Without the injuries, I would have been picking other things, other skill sets. For me, it's about finding what works with who you've got. I feel the lads are more comfortable with it.
“It's about the lads understanding and moving and working together. And I believe that's coming from the last two and a half, three weeks.”
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