Swindon players caught by the buzz ahead of trophy final

Swindon Town’s Wembley bound players said the mentality at the club had completely changed since Paolo di Canio arrived at the County Ground.

March 2012

Striker Alan Connell, winger Matt Ritchie and skipper Paul Caddis confirmed that cup fever had well and truly gripped the town and said the manager had been a big factor in creating such a buzz.

Ritchie said: “The mentality of the club has changed completely. Everyone involved in the club is really enjoying it and the whole town is so excited about Sunday.

“We didn’t expect this at the start of the season. We wanted to get promoted and hopefully we are on our way to doing it. Getting to the final of the trophy is a bonus, but now we are there we want to go out and win it.”

Captain Caddis admitted that he’d be lying if he hadn’t thought about lifting the trophy in front of 30,000 fans, even if it is far too early to be getting carried away with such thoughts.

“Leading the team out in the final will be a career highlight but it’s not all about me picking up the trophy, it is about the team and how we play on the day. And hopefully we will play better than Chesterfield and win.”

Striker Alan Connell said that despite manager di Canio predicting wild celebrations if the Robins win, he has left no stone unturned in his preparations for Chesterfield, who he has big respect for.

“The manager has given us some information on them already and the closer we get to the final, the more we’ll look at their strengths and weaknesses.

“Of course we are confident but we respect that they are in a league above us and it will be a really tough game.”

To view the player interviews, click here