The Robins begin their campaign away at Northampton Town on Saturday 15th August before hosting local rivals Cheltenham Town at the County Ground a week later.
A demanding opening spell also includes matches against Port Vale, Colchester United, York City and Salford City, leaving little opportunity for a slow start to the season.
Supporters have already begun studying the fixture list, with the first home derby against Cheltenham, the Boxing Day trip to Shrewsbury and a final day clash with Gillingham at the County Ground among the standout dates.
October could prove pivotal in Swindon’s promotion ambitions. The Robins face Rochdale, Crewe Alexandra, Walsall, Barnet, Bristol Rovers and Rotherham United during a challenging run of fixtures that could shape the direction of the campaign.
The closing weeks of the season also promise plenty of drama. Swindon have six league matches scheduled in April before travelling to Chesterfield ahead of a home meeting with Gillingham on the final day, a fixture that could have significant consequences at either end of the League Two table.
The pre season friendlies include matches against non league opposition such as Swindon Supermarine, Chippenham Town and Forest Green Rovers. The stand out fixture is the visit of Bristol City to the County Ground on Saturday 25th July. City are one of our true local derbies, the other being Oxford United, and this should guarantee a full house with ex players such as Scott Twine on show for the visitors.
Swindon24 sports reporter Ian Howard said:
“Looking at the fixture list, there’s no obvious gentle start. Northampton away is a difficult opener and Cheltenham at home the following week will bring plenty of pressure as well as excitement. If Swindon can come through the opening month with momentum, they’ll give themselves a real platform.
The key thing is not to read too much into individual fixtures because League Two is relentless, but supporters will rightly see this as a challenging start that could tell us a lot about this team.”
He added:
“If you’re serious about promotion, you’ve got to make the County Ground a difficult place for teams to visit. There are some attractive home fixtures early on and the fans can play a huge part in turning those into points.”
With the fixtures now confirmed, supporters can begin planning away trips and circling key dates in the calendar as anticipation builds for the start of the new season.
