SWINDON Town boss Phil Brown was impressed by the attitude and mentality of the eight trialists he fielded during the club’s opening pre-season fixture against Cirencester Town on Wednesday night.

Brown’s men coasted to a comfortable 3-1 win at the Corinium Stadium after goals from trialists Shamir Mullings and Maxwell Oldham plus a second-half strike from Keshi Anderson ensured they passed their first pre-season test.

Former Partick Thistle midfielder Abdul Osman and previous Plymouth Argyle keeper Luke McCormick were on show for Town, as well as Brown’s previously-mentioned five trialists in Martin Smith, Lloyd Sam, Maxwell Oldham, Jordan Williams and Jamie Sendles-White.

Despite being impressed by their attitude, Brown confirmed he will decide the fate of his eight trialists in the next 48 hours.

He said: “I was impressed with the attitude and mentality of the group, certainly where the trialists are concerned.

“They stated their case, whether it’s enough to earn them a contract is something I’ve got to chew over in the next 48 hours.”

Mullings bagged Town’s opening goal after receiving a pass from the right and converting from close range.

The former Southend man, whom Brown first encountered when he finished his apprenticeship at the Shrimpers, linked up with Maxwell Oldham and Scott Twine up front before being substituted at half-time.

Brown said: “Ricky Duncan (Southend academy director) was throwing Shamir at me, and looking at the size of him I thought he was a big lad then.

“He was pursuing another career in basketball, but he lives in Swindon and is a target man.

“He has an eye for goal and a clinical finish. His goal was a good finish from a good cross.

“Abdul (Osman) was thrown at me just two days ago, he came into training and did enough from a fitness point of view.

“It was a similar kind of role to Martin Smith and I played both in the first half because I had Scott Twine in a more creative role which suited him.”

While the core of football’s global focus remains fixated more than 1,800 miles away in Moscow, Brown is convinced the passing nature of England’s World Cup campaign will ‘hang over’ into early fixtures within League Two.

But while possession appeals to the eye, the Town boss confirmed he will be looking to make the most of set-pieces and forward movement to carve out the majority of his side’s chances.

“There will be, without a shadow of a doubt, a hangover of World Cup football which will be all about passing,” said Brown.

“In terms of possession we’ll see teams enjoy 75 per cent of the ball but lose the game.

“You find a way to win the game – if that’s a set-piece or getting the ball into the opposition half we’ll try that.

“But there’s certainly more than one way to skin a cat, and that’s not just playing World Cup football.”