SWINDON Town forward Harry McKirdy said he “just felt a little bit livelier” than normal after scoring four times in a 5-2 rout of Northampton Town on New Year’s Day.

After giving the hosts a deserved lead inside half an hour at the County Ground, three McKirdy goals – and a Tyreece Simpson strike – in 15 minutes after the break ensured Ben Garner’s men ended a run of four League Two games without a victory.

Before netting five against the Cobblers, Swindon had scored three goals in a game six times in all competitions but never managed to reach four or more. Thanks to McKirdy, that record was smashed on the first day of 2022.

Asked what the secret was behind his career-best day, the 24-year-old said: “It felt like a normal game, it’s just there was a lot less pressure at the end.

“It didn’t really matter if I gave it away, you’re just able to enjoy yourself. I’m gutted I didn’t get five with the chance at the end, but we loved it out there – I’m sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

“I just felt a little bit livelier out there, I don’t know what it was really. I felt I had that buzz about my game that I had at Forest Green and Bristol Rovers, and nothing has really changed. I need to try and get to a place where I’m like that every week.”

Swindon’s comfortable victory lifted the club up to fifth in League Two and just a couple of points off the automatic promotion places ahead of the FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester City.

McKirdy says the club’s ambition is clear, but none of the players will be looking at Mansfield Town before they’ve locked horns with arguably the best team in the world on Friday night.

He said: “We definitely want to get promoted – I think that’s obvious with the players that we’ve got. But if you start thinking about promotion, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.

“We just take it game by game – we’ve got City next so we’ll try and enjoy that and hope for some magic of the Cup, you never know.

“That will be a great day for everyone, and then after that – to be honest, I don’t even know who we’ve got the game after.

“That shows that we do take it game by game. I think, if we turn up, we’re capable of winning every game we play – that’s the plan.”