ASSISTANT manager Noel Hunt was impressed with the performance of ostracized attacker, Keshi Anderson after the forward bagged a hat-trick in Swindon’s final pre-season fixture away at Melksham Town tonight.

Richie Wellens’ side warmed up for their League Two opener against Scunthorpe United on Saturday by putting six goals past their Southern League opponents – five of which came in the first half – in a ruthless victory to nil.

In front of a crowd over 756, Anderson opened the scoring on the night after just five minutes before adding his second from close range towards the end of the opening 45.

And the man who Wellens has decided is surplus to requirements at the County Ground added his third, and Swindon’s sixth, with a rasping free-kick just before the hour.

But it was not the highlight reel free-kick that most pleased Hunt, but instead the tap-in from close range – something the former Waterford assistant says Anderson should be doing more if he is to build on his underwhelming goal record.

“I said to him afterwards, that was the first time I’d seen him score a scruffy goal inside the six-yard box and a scruffy one as well, so that’s a good thing for him,” said Hunt.

“And the free-kick as well, it was a great strike with movement on it.

“We associate Keshi with those type of goals, the long-range ones, but we really want him to get into the six-yard box more and score more scruffy goals in off his heel or whatever it needs to come off to go in.

“He did that tonight, so he looked good.”

With a largely second-string team taking to the field in Melksham on Tuesday night, Hunt was pleased with the performance of those that took part, and in particular, the three trialists: Sidy Sanokho, Ted Smith and Dom Tear.

The Town assistant boss revealed the trio would be kept around for a few more days at least while their futures are considered before turning his attention back to the overall performance of the team against their final pre-season opponents.

Hunt said: “In the first 15 minutes, I thought we were really, really good. We moved the ball well and were 3-0 up.

“But then we started to take people on and started to run with the ball, and we didn’t have a shot for 10 minutes or so.

“We told the players to go back to two touch and, in the end, it was a good exercise for us.

“We scored some good goals and we made plenty of chances.

“The game became a bit open at the end, but we saw some good defending from Dan Ballard and Taylor Curran.”