Swindon Town boss David Flitcroft keen to reward travelling away fans

Swindon Town manager David Flitcroft believes long-travelling Town fans need to be rewarded by the team's performances.

Flitcroft is keen to change the mentality at Swindon during his tenure, after last season's relegation side often struggled with a lack of "mental strength", according to then-Head Coach Luke Williams.

"That has been the success: to change the mentality from doing work in a certain way and rebooting that," Flitcroft said.

"That's been the biggest challenge, that we've spent too much time on but we've had to."

Said weakness mentally led to Swindon only winning four of their 23 league matches on the road during 2016-17, but, while still in August, Flitcroft has already guided the Robins to two away wins in two.

They have not been kind fixtures either, as the 2-1 opening-day victory came at Carlisle (269 miles), a 1-0 result was at Morecambe (211 miles) and Town lost a cup tie at Norwich (203 miles) inbetween.

Flitcroft is acutely aware of how much travelling Town fans have had to do so far this season, and therefore those away wins feel that bit more special to him.

"I'm a football fan, I'll keep saying it. I love football and I live for it. 

"I know fans who I've met who's paid to stay in hotels (last) weekend and come up to our hotel to get photos with the players and get selfies - it's important that they go home knowing that their team's secured three points.

"The first month the travelling has been ridiculous, really, but the lads haven't moaned, they've got on with it and that's how I work.

"We've got to play those games, we've got to play all around the country, that's what any football team's got to do, but the fans have had to travel and spend a lot of money in this first month.

"I want a return for them and hopefully we've got that."