FORMER Swindon Town striker Steve ‘Chalky’ White believes the current squad must go for the kill in the second leg of their League Two play-off semi-final on Thursday night.

Swindon lead Port Vale by two goals to one after a tense and gritty first fixture at the County Ground last weekend.

With a place against either Northampton Town or Mansfield Town at Wembley Stadium on the line for the winner, the stakes are as high as they can be for a fourth-tier club.

The man who played in four play-off campaigns for Swindon back in the late 1980s and early 90s was discussing the current outfit’s prospects on the Swindon Town Official Supporters Club’s Monday Night Panel ahead of Thursday’s crucial second leg.

Explaining his prescribed plan of attack for Town, White said: “Town need to score a goal at Vale Park; they need to go there – especially with the attacking players that we’ve got - with the thought of trying to score.

“I think it would be folly to try and defend the lead and play a counter-attacking game.

“I think we need to play a game where we can press them at the right time – for example, if they’re trying to play out from the back – and we need to play a game where we’re on the front foot.”

Thursday night’s contest will mark the fourth time Swindon and Vale have faced off this season, with Town leading the head-to-head two wins to one.

White thinks Garner should resist any urge to alter the tactics that served him so well in the past two clashes with the Staffordshire club.

White said: “I’m sure that Ben Garner will know the Port Vale players intimately; he’ll know every strength and weakness of every one of their players.

“They played with four across the back on Sunday, and Garner will be deciding on what his strategy is.

“Will it be a 4-3-3 or will he revert back to three centre-backs with wing-backs making it a back five and play a counter-attacking style?

“For me, I think he should stick with going to try and win the game.

“But of course, all sorts of things can happen over the course of 90 minutes. Garner will have to react to all of those variables, and hopefully he makes more of the right calls.”