PLAYERS and managers rarely come out publicly and tell fans they are aiming for promotion at any point in the season, let alone in July before a ball has even been kicked.

But Swindon Town head coach Scott Lindsey and his squad have been overwhelmingly vocal with their aims since the moment pre-season kicked off.

They want promotion, and they’re not afraid to tell anyone.

For Lindsey to lead Swindon to promotion in his first season as a head coach would be remarkable, and due to the fact that – as every commentator in world sport will let you know – sport is not scripted, a Town promotion come May is entirely possible.

But why say it at all? Does it not add unnecessary pressure when there is already more than enough on players as it is? Not according to Lindsey – he’s just telling the truth.

Discussing his openness regarding promotion being the aim, Lindsey said: “We say it because we’re honest, because we believe in ourselves, and because that’s what we do want.

“There are plenty of managers out there who won’t say that because they want to protect themselves or whatever they want to do, that’s fine. But I firmly believe in this group of players, and I firmly believe we can achieve that.

“But listen, it’s a really long season, there is plenty of football to play, and there are some really competitive teams in this league.

“It will be a hard, hard slog – that’s without question – but ultimately, we want to do well.”

Claiming victory against Harrogate Town would be the perfect way start to Lindsey’s competitive reign, but it’s not the be all and end all, according to the 50-year-old. Only one of the four teams who went up to League One last season won on the opening day.

Despite dismissing a glowing statistic surrounding Swindon’s electric start to the past eight seasons, Lindsey is, of course, desperate to snatch three points as quickly as possible.

He continued: “I’d be mad if I were to sit here and say: “we’re not really looking for promotion.” Of course we are, every manager is looking for promotion.

“Will they stand up and say it? Probably not, but I’m brave enough to say that’s what we want. Whether we get that or not remains to be seen.

“Do I want to win every game? Yeah. Will we win every game? Probably not, but we’ll certainly be aiming to do that.

“I believe in the squad that we’ve built here, and I believe in the team that we’re going to play against Harrogate on Saturday. Let’s see what happens.”