'Playoffs the minimum' as Wellens looks ahead to next season

RICHIE WELLENS has set his sights firmly on promotion success with Swindon Town next season insisting that the ‘playoffs are the target’ for the Robins. Total Sport Swindon’s Ryan Walker spoke to the manager ahead of tomorrow’s League Two fixture against Morecambe.

A season of mediocrity consisting of an inevitable managerial change as Phil Brown departed the County Ground earlier in the season, has seen Richie Wellens guide Town to 13th in the League Two standings with the club now safe from relegation but out of touch with the playoff spots.

Speaking ahead of Swindon’s clash with Morecambe at the weekend, Richie Wellens admitted that he has been impressed with home performances in front of the STFC faithful but admitted there is still room for improvement.

“I think on the whole it’s been good,” said Wellens.

“Our home performances have improved as it’s gone on. I think things have improved and some of our performances have been good where we’ve started quickly and played high energy.

“There have been a couple of occasions, Crawley springs to mind, where we’ve played far too slow. We should’ve won that game but we got done with a last-minute penalty,” he added.

“I think on the whole there is always room for improvement. The way that I like to play we haven’t really done this season because I don’t think we have the right personnel.

“We have great personnel to play counter-attacking football and to attack quickly but the way that I want to play we will go more towards that next season when I’ve made a few tweaks in personnel,” said the manager.

Without a win in their last three matches has put any promotion hopes realistically out-of-reach for Swindon. However, it appears Wellens has one eye firmly positioned on next season as the manager discussed recruitment and targets for the 19/20 league campaign.

“If as a manager you have a certain way of playing and you stick to that no matter what regardless of the players you’ve inherited then that’s quite naïve,” said Wellens.

“I’ll slowly integrate the way I want to play over the summer and the pre-season will be big for us playing friendlies so we can start quickly next season. 

“We need real belief and purpose going into the first game of the season and the minimum target next season will be the playoffs,” he said.