JOE Romanski knows competition for first-team places in the Swindon Town squad this season will be high, but that hasn’t stopped him from setting improved goals for the 2019-20 season.

Romanski made eight appearances in red last season, but is yet to play under new boss Richie Wellens - who took charge of the club on November 13.

His absence from the first team since early November prompted a loan move to National League South outfit Bath City towards the end of the last season, where Romanski helped the Romans reach the division’s end of season play-offs.

The teenager claims his time in the second tier of non-league football has helped his development - particularly regarding the application of a winning mentality.

And while defensive additions this summer include Tyler Reid, Zeki Fryers, Mathieu Baudry and Rob Hunt, Romanski is determined the mix it with the big boys in pre-season and prove his worth.

He said: “I want to help the team reach the goals we have set. Defensively we look good, and I’m confident we can pull together and make something of the season.

“I benefitted a lot from my time at Bath, it’s not like I joined a mid-table team with a few months to kill at the end of the season.

“We were pushing for the play-offs, and finished in that frame. Unfortunately, the play-offs didn’t go to plan. But the build-up to the final game of the season was full of pressure, which was good for me.

“That helped me – results matter in the late parts of the season, it’s good experience.”

Meanwhile Town’s range of pre-season fixtures - starting on Tuesday night at Brimscombe and Thrupp - have granted the 19-year-old reason to be confident of the squad’s development rate ahead of their visit to Scunthorpe in less than five weeks’ time.

Manchester United U23s, Coventry City and Birmingham City will visit the County Ground, while non-league ties include visits to Swindon Supermarine, Melksham Town, Hungerford and Salisbury.

Romanski added: “It’s good to get a range of fixtures in, you know Manchester United are going to pop the ball around.

“And the non-league teams will have a different game plan. They might try and get into us a bit.

“It’s all good preparation for the season.”