ASSISTANT coach Scott Marshall was delighted to see no drop-off in performance from a much changed Swindon Town team during their 2-1 victory over Arsenal Under-21s on Tuesday night.

Head coach Ben Garner made seven changes to his starting line-up from Saturday’s 1-1 draw away at Stevenage, but it seemed to matter not to Swindon as debutant Mohammad Dabre and a second-half own goal ensured Town made the perfect start to their EFL Trophy campaign.

The victory sees Swindon stretch their unbeaten run to five matches and continues the feel-good factor surrounding the club since Clem Morfuni’s takeover was announced in mid-July.

Reacting to a largely comfortable win on home soil, the Town assistant suggested the evening could hardly have gone any better.

Marshall said: “I’m pleased to get the win and continue our strong set of results in a different competition.

“We made a fair few changes, and a few of the lads coming in got some good minutes into their legs, which was pleasing. It was nice performance overall.

“We want a competitive environment, but we also want a respectful environment as well – it needs to be a healthy, competitive environment.

“The boys train and compete well every day, so carrying that into the game, we didn’t really see anything other than that again this evening.”

Key to Town’s success on the night was the energy and endeavour of midfielder, Dabre. Asked to play in a slightly unfamiliar role on the right, the 18-year-old played in the style of a kid at the park with his mates – scrapping for every ball and putting himself about for the team.

Commenting specifically on Dabre post-match, Marshall explained the raw talent is always keen to learn and played exactly as he trains.

Marshall said: “Mo has never been in a professional environment before, but he’s so enthusiastic and you see it in everything he does. He’s made a great start to his time here, and he’s come in and made an impression on Tuesday night.

“It was nice to get him out there to make a senior appearance – that’s always a big step up – but we’ll keep working hard with him and he’ll keep working hard.

“He brings great enthusiasm to the game and the group. He keeps surprising us a little bit every day, so we’ll keep moving forward and working away with him.”