SWINDON Town head coach Ben Garner is hoping his team can continue their strong record after a full week of training against Oldham Athletic this weekend.

Town fell to a 3-1 reverse at home to Bradford City on Saturday, four days after surging to a 2-1 success away at Sutton United.

But with seven days until Town’s next League Two fixture, Garner will be afforded plenty of time to comb through his game plan to ensure Swindon can respond positively against struggling Oldham.

Town’s record after the absence of a midweek fixture stands at four wins and three draws – a fact that backs up Garner’s response when asked if a full week of training would benefit his team in their quest to put the defeat to Bradford behind them.

Garner said: “I always prefer a full week off. I like to work with the players on the training ground.

“When you have that Tuesday night game away from home – with the travel and getting back late – you can only do so much on the grass, and you can’t physically load the players.

“You have to find other ways of getting that information across. Generally, when we’ve had a full week going into games we’ve been very strong.

“We’ve got a nice format that we work to, and yes there was disappointment over the weekend, but by the time we start training this week we’ll get back to work and we’ll be looking to put it right.”

During Town’s recent defeat to Bradford, Welsh international Jonny Williams was taken off midway through the second half as Garner aimed to help his team claim at least a point. That decision – while ultimately proving to be unsuccessful – also drew a selection of boos from the crowd at the time.

Garner admitted he understood the fans’ frustration but felt it is important not to overload Williams so as not to lose him for an extended period due to injury.

The Town boss said: “I understand [the frustration when Williams was taken off].

“Jonny is a top player, it’s frustrating from our point of view in that he’s come in, we’re trying to get him fit, he’s gone away with Wales, come back, gone away with Wales – it’s been a bit stop-start with him.

“And with playing in midweek and going again on Saturday, I just thought he started to tire in the second half.

“I thought Alex Gilbert might give us something a little bit different there. But that’s no reflection on Jonny, he’s a top, top player.”