PREVIEW: Swindon Town v West Brom U21

SWINDON TOWN begin their EFL Trophy campaign tonight as they welcome West Brom Under-21s to the County Ground in their first game of Group E. Total Sport Swindon's Rajan Hothi previews the clash.

Swindon got their season underway last Saturday as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Charlton Athletic at the County Ground. But the EFL Trophy gifts manager Richie Wellens an opportunity to give his players valuable game time ahead of the League One season start.

With Swindon's first season back in League One kicking-off on Saturday against Rochdale, Wellens will be keen to give players a chance to stake a claim for a first-team spot as Swindon attempt to challenge for back-to-promotions after being crowned League Two champions.

Since the reformation of the EFL Trophy, Town have struggled to find their feet in the tournament - having made it to the second round just twice, but with Town being the highest-ranked league side in their group, they will fancy their chances to make it through.

One area of concern for Town heading into tonight’s game will be their defence, whom after struggling in the weekends 3-1 loss to Charlton will be looking to show improvement as the first league game of the season approaches. 

Swindon will want to replicate the defensive form from last season, which saw them boast one of the best defensive records in League Two, but with Tom Broadbent, Dion Conroy and Mathieu Baudry not yet fully fit, more inexperienced players such as Akin Odimayo will be relied upon to fill the gap left. 

In midfield, loan duo Matt Smith and Jonny Smith will likely be handed starts in an attempt to get them match-fit for the start of the league season whilst Brett Pitman will be hoping to get more minutes under his belt after recently signing for the Robins on a one-year deal. 

The 32-year-old has struggled for game time in the last year, after being ostracised from Portsmouth's first-team, but he could prove to be a huge asset for Town this season.

Matt Smith was named on the bench against Charlton but did not feature, however, according to manager Richie Wellens, the highly-rated midfielder has looked sharp in training and will get minutes against West Brom Under-21s. 

Speaking ahead of the clash, Wellens revealed the benefit of having a player like Pitman who is eager to prove a point at SN1. 

"He's been captain at a big club, won promotion from League One, so he is an experienced player," said Wellens.

"His goals and his numbers stack up, especially at this level, and more importantly he has got something to prove.

"Brett feels a bit hard done by in his last season at Portsmouth, and with the way it ended, so I sense he has got something to prove," he continued. 

"I always believe if someone has got something to prove, they can be very dangerous players as they're still hungry.

"He hasn't come here for money, so I applaud him for wanting to come to a team that creates chances and win promotion to prove he can still do it."