Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway has expressed his desire to give the supporters ‘something to cheer about’ ahead of the Robins’ tie against Morecambe.
The Shrimps find themselves rock bottom of League Two and haven’t won in the division since early November which was a 2-1 victory over Harrogate Town.
Holloway’s aim is to drag his team away from the relegation places and improve on last season’s 19th place finish, which was the worst ever in the club’s history, but he’s looking forward to it.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it, absolutely. It’s probably the most excited I’ve been for any game here.
“This is a wonderful chance for us to deal with some issues and the truth is, we’ll either be in the exact same place if we draw or we’ll be much worse off, right?
“We could be feeling a lot better about ourselves, but it’s about what we do on Saturday so I can’t wait to see their reaction [from the 2-2 draw against Accrington Stanley] and I’m really looking forward to it.
“Truthfully, I just need to give the fans something to cheer about.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Wiltshire side have seen their attendances drop to an average of 7,201, when it was up to 9,449 in the 2021/2022 season.
Despite the decrease, the manager hopes the supporters can see his vision.
“I think if we can start that way [How Swindon have finished their last games] and keep building confidence, I think the fans would like what we’re actually trying to do at the moment.
“We ended the game on Saturday well on top against a really good team, so it’s all about putting it together and what a great opportunity to have.
“I wish we had a few more weeks, but this one [Saturday’s game] is here and I can’t wait to see what they can do.”
The former Millwall manager discussed his excitement when taking the role in his first interviews with the club.
Even after nearly being in charge for a full month, his love for the job has not changed and he wants fans to return to the Nigel Eady County Ground.
“I love our DNA – we want to fight, we want to work, we want to be able to do that [carry training into games] and with a lot more fans there, it would really help.
“I feel like the lads are starting to deserve it and I want them to feel that themselves, take that out onto the pitch, go about and do something.
“Sometimes, you don’t feel like a champion do you? Sometimes you don’t.
“I’ve got to try and make them feel like champions even when it’s gone wrong because that next serve is vital, if you look at it in the tennis way.”
Holloway also has a fully fit team to choose from going into the tie against the Shrimps, with every player available.
“Grant [Hall] is back off suspension and no more injuries.
“I’ve got a nice selection problem, which I’ve already solved.”
