SWINDON Town midfielder Anthony Grant does not believe it is an advantage to play later on in the day as the race for survival enters its final stages.

John Sheridan’s men face a crucial away trip to relegation rivals, AFC Wimbledon on Saturday evening – a fixture that has to be considered as must-win for the County Ground club – while every other game in League One bar Oxford United v Gillingham will kick off at lunchtime.

Depending on other results, Swindon could face a situation where they have the chance to move within a point of safety with victory at Plough Lane or end up seven points from 20th with four games to play for courtesy of defeat.

Grant says other results will be irrelevant in his mind as Town must concentrate on themselves, first and foremost.

He said: “We go out to win every game anyway. We play later than everyone else, so we’ll know those results, but hopefully the team goes out there and performs anyway, and the subs who have to come on produce the goods.

“I don’t think it’s an advantage to play later – we already know we have to go out there and win the game. It doesn’t matter if the other teams lose or win, we still have to win our game.

“It’s not about any other team, it’s about us. If we concentrate on ourselves then I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Following consecutive wins against Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, Swindon appeared to have given themselves renewed hope of an extended stay in League One.

But four defeats in a row have seen the mood around the County Ground drop drastically – with the usually jovial Grant slightly quieter than usual in recent press conferences.

When asked why this was, the experienced midfielder said his mood off the field is not as important as his attitude on it.

He said: “You can’t just be down in the dumps, you’ve got to try and enjoy it. Obviously, we’re human beings so you want to try and enjoy what you’re doing, but when it’s time for business, you need to go out there and perform.

“We trained on Monday and played a game where one team won and won team lost. There are always ups and downs – some people are happy they won, others were disappointed they lost. But we’ve got to switch our focus to Wimbledon now.”