RICHIE Wellens reported a lively and bubbly atmosphere in training yesterday ahead of Swindon Town’s crunch game against promotion hopefuls Forest Green Rovers at the County Ground tonight (7.45pm).

The 38-year-old has made little secret of his frustrations regarding certain players’ ‘cracked it’ mentalities in the aftermath of a positive performance that has been backed by a favourable scoreline.

Town have recorded just one win out of five this season when returning to play at home following a League Two victory on the road – drawing two and losing the other two games.

On Saturday, Michael Doughty struck twice and Keshi Anderson scored from 25 yards to earn Town a confidence-boosting three points against Milton Keynes Dons – who sit eighth in the table.

Naturally, the win prompted scenes of jubilance in the away end of Stadium MK – feelings that were matched by Town’s players in the immediate aftermath of the full-time whistle.

Wellens pin-pointed Town’s inconsistency as the key reason behind his side’s struggling play-off bid this term.

He said: “The mood in training on Monday was very good.

“But I would imagine that 90 per cent of managers at Championship, League One or League Two level know that if you win one, you lose one.

“It’s so inconsistent, and that is why we are mid-table in the league. We’re not putting five or six game runs together.

“We’re striving for consistency.

“Everyone was confident, lively, bubbly and taking the mickey out of each other, which is what I want to see.

“I want to see a comradery between the players. I can sit here and say that, but it’s about what happens on the pitch tonight.

“If the players go out there and show that confidence and belief that we can win, then I’m sure we will be okay.”

League Two trends from this season suggest 76 points will be required – at minimum – to earn a play-off spot.

Should this turn out to be the case, Wellens’ side must record an average of 2.2 points per game, starting tonight against Mark Cooper’s Forest Green Rovers.

After securing just two points out of a possible 12 at home from their last four games, many fans have questioned and scrutinised Town’s psychological strength when playing in front of home supporters.

But Wellens shunned any negative thoughts regarding his side’s home form, and pointed towards the form of teams that have visited in recent weeks.

He said Town’s one-goal loss against Crawley has been the only ‘blip’ in his side’s home record and called on the supporters to rally behind the team and generate an atmosphere equal to what was witnessed in Buckinghamshire on Saturday.

He added: “For me, the only blip at home has been Crawley.

“Exeter were flying high and Lincoln were top of the league. There were moments that went against us (against Exeter) and everyone here agreed that we should’ve beaten Lincoln before it went 10v11 and then 9v11.

“We had decent wins against Stevenage and Newport – both in the play-offs at the time.

“It’s about giving the players confidence, and I would hope we can take that forward.

“The main thing is getting the balance right. I don’t want to break areas of the pitch up that we feel comfortable with.

“The main thing for me is the score, and also understanding we completed what we worked on in the week.

“If we do, then I’m happy about our game.”