SWINDON Town caretaker manager Tommy Wright said he hoped Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Portsmouth improved the mood of the fans during a “bad time” for the club.

An ongoing court case involving owner Lee Power and a potential relegation for the team has meant being a Swindon Town fan has been far from easy of late, though Wright suggested his team had helped ease some of the pain for a short while following the surprise win.

Brett Pitman’s brace against his old club, combined with Tyler Smith’s late goal, helped to nudge along Town’s hopes of remaining in League One next year – though Swindon will go down if they lose to MK Dons on Saturday.

Despite the potentially devastating situation, Wright hoped fans could benefit from the light relief Tuesday’s encouraging display provided.

He said: “I said to the players before the game: “Have a bit of respect here. Don’t just lie down and let the season finish.” And I thought they did that, they went out and tried very hard.

“But I don’t think effort has really been the problem for us this season – when I look at the statistics, our running distances and sprints are good. It just seems to be quality sometimes, and we all know about the kind of goals we’ve conceded.

“But Tuesday night was pleasing. I’m pleased for everyone concerned with the club because it’s been a bad time. There’s bad news coming out all the time, so I’m hoping the fans enjoyed this one for a change.”

Wright was left in charge of first-team matters after good friend and previous manager John Sheridan resigned following a 4-1 defeat to AFC Wimbledon last Saturday.

The 55-year-old was extremely unhappy about the way his team had performed in Sheridan’s final game in charge, and revealed he asked for something greatly improved at the County Ground on Tuesday night – something he felt he received in abundance.

Wright said: “I think John (Sheridan) leaving would have made the players look in the mirror a little bit – you should do when a manager leaves, especially if you look at the performance against Wimbledon, which was very, very poor.

“Maybe John leaving was the kick up the backside the players needed. John was getting all the criticism really – a lot of mangers do – but I think the players needed to stand up too when there was only one man who seemed to be on the receiving end. But I wanted a response from the players, and I got it.”