WITH five days until the 2022-23 League Two season gets underway, Adver Sport takes a look at the five stand-out fixtures for Swindon Town this term.

SALFORD CITY (H) – Saturday, August 6

Aside from also facing an early test against a well-fancied title contender, Swindon’s first home game of the new season will be massive in terms of setting the tone for head coach Scott Lindsey.

Town’s home record did improve last year but ultimately cost them automatic promotion due to catching fire far too late on home soil. If Swindon are serious about promotion, a home win over a likely promotion rival early on will be a huge boost.

NEWPORT COUNTY (H) – Saturday, September 10

Following the mass exodus of south-westerly sides at the end of last term, Town’s closest geographical rival in 22-23 will be Newport. With no real local derbies to get excited about, Town fans will be forced to renew a rivalry with a club which sits a comfortable 50-plus miles away.

The games between the pair have often been entertaining, both on and off the pitch, in recent seasons – and everyone concerned will be hoping for another cracker in the first of the two meetings.

DONCASTER ROVERS (A) – Saturday, September 17

A week after the big home derby of the league season, Lindsey’s Town will travel up to Yorkshire for one of their biggest tests of the campaign. Rovers will harbour aspirations of an immediate return to League One, and Gary McSheffrey will be aiming to cement his status as a club legend by leading them to promotion. Swindon’s record away to Doncaster is, in short, horrendous. The Robins have won just one of 13 throughout history, therefore a victory at the Keepmoat would fuel an early push towards the top and inject a great deal of belief into the young Town squad.

BRADFORD CITY (H) – Tuesday, April 23

Admittedly, a lot has to happen in order to make Town’s penultimate home game of the season the spine-tingling promotion dash we all hope it will be.

But should Mark Hughes be able to work his magic on a much-improved Bantams squad, then Lindsey’s men could well be welcoming an automatic-promotion rival to the County Ground for a game under the lights which fans will remember for years.

CRAWLEY TOWN (H) – Saturday, May 6

I’ve listed this game because it’s the last game of the season, and because Swindon are rarely involved in meaningless final fixtures.

Plus, Kevin Betsy’s side have spent some serious money by League Two standards and have knitted together a decent-looking squad on paper, including former club captain Dion Conroy.

Conroy has already proved he loves getting one over previous managers, so he may well fancy making a point to the club that let him go over the summer.