Swindon Town’s Turnaround: A Promising Start to the 2023/24 EFL Season
Swindon Town – Finally on the Rise?
Has Swindon finally found the right formula for consistent success? For years Swindon has been a “nearly” club. They have always been almost there but they fail to reach their potential. The club has so much potential to become a real force in the EFL division.
The start of the 2023/24 season has been promising for the Robins. They are unbeaten in the league thus far and are currently 5th in the table with 3 wins and 3 draws having played a game less than their immediate rivals. Swindon’s opening game against Colchester United got postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.
So what is this Wilshire-based side doing right early in the season that shows so much promise? Let’s take a look.
Recruitment
From the early look-in, Swindon Town is supposed to have gotten their recruitment bang on. For a League Two side, the business Swindon has done in the off-season now looks impressive.
Jake Young, who was as good as an outcast at Bradford City has hit the ground running at Swindon and then some. The only regret Swindon will have is not signing Young permanently as he has arrived on a season-long loan.
He has been one of the signings of the season up and down the English football league. Young has already scored 9 goals in just 6 games for Swindon. He has been a complete game-changer as far as Swindon is concerned. If he keeps his form consistent for the remainder of the campaign then the sky’s the limit for both the club and the player.
Dan Kemp is another loan signing who has found his footing at Swindon. Alongside Jake Young, Dan Kemp has started the season on fire. The MK Dons loanee has 5 goals and 4 assists in 6 appearances already. How’s that for a stat? Another potential regret for Swindon for not signing him permanently. But that regret would be eradicated if Kemp helped the Robins to a promotion.
Udoka Godwin-Malife is yet another solid signing. The centre-back has been sensational in the back three used by Michael Flynn this season. He is a very tactically apt defender and also a threat from the set-piece. It is still early days but Godwin-Malife looks a really promising signing. He is someone who can make an impact from the back.
Again, it is still early days but Swindon has gotten most of their recruitment right. They have addressed all the problematic areas. All you can do right now is doff your hat to their recruitment team.
Michael Flynn and His Effective Formation
Michael Flynn already had a good spell at Newport County and then a somewhat successful spell at Walsall. He is still fairly early into his managerial career. His hope that Swindon Town would be a good platform for growth has been just that.
On a current basis, it looks like Flynn has gotten his formation and tactics right. Swindon are a naturally attacking side this season and you would expect that with players such as Kemp, Austin, and Young in their ranks.
Swindon have been involved in two high-scoring games already in their 6 matches – a 5-5 draw with Wrexham and a 6-0 demolition of Crawley town. Flynn has been deploying a 3-5-2 formation with two wingbacks.
Jake Young as previously stated has started the season on fire alongside Dan Kemp. Both are scoring for fun meanwhile Charlie Austin, the veteran, has been more of a supporting act to the two young talents. It is a role that suits Austin well as he is more of a playmaker now rather than a goalscorer but Michael Flynn is utilising all three really well.
The formation used by Flynn is fluid and it brings out the natural attacking game of most of their players. Fullbacks are providing proper width with two holding midfielders maintaining the shape of the team when the fullbacks bombard forward.
Flynn and his staff have got the personnel right for their formation and that is the most important thing in football, just ask Jurgen Klopp!
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
The Robins started the season slowly. Their opening match got postponed because of a waterlogged pitch and then they went out of the Carabao Cup(EFL Trophy) as well at the hands of Peterborough United. Their season started with two draws in 3 league games but they have gradually gotten better.
Robins needed time to gel and get used to Michael Flynn’s formation and tactics but once they got acquainted with it they have been superb. Swindon have the highest goal difference in the league and they are also the top scorers in League Two thus far.
Swindon might have started the season slowly and again it is still early in the season but they seem to have found a lift-off in the past couple of weeks. Expect Swindon Town to get even better as the season progresses because they are one of the most settled sides in League Two currently.
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