Sports Mole previews Saturday's League Two clash between Swindon Town and Morecambe, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Swindon Town will host Morecambe on Saturday in the final game of the League Two season.
Despite the absence of any major stakes, both Swindon Town and Morecambe will be vying for a victorious end to their campaigns, aiming to secure a higher position on the table.
Match preview
It has been a disappointing season from a Swindon perspective, as the club is far from the 10th-place finish they achieved last season.
Currently sitting 19th, the Robins have failed to kick on from the 2022-23 campaign, and have focused on avoiding relegation, which they have succeeded in.
Gavin Gunning's men still have the chance of climbing up two places if they can pick up three points this weekend, which would provide a slightly stronger finish, but they will need to provide an improved performance on their recent efforts.
Swindon enters this match on the back of two consecutive defeats, the most recent being a 2-0 loss against Grimsby Town where they failed to hit a single shot on target.
The Robins would no doubt like to entertain their fanbase a little more before the summer break, but defeating Morecambe is something they could not do earlier in the campaign when the two teams battled out a 2-2 draw.
The visitors will be equally as desperate to wrap up their campaign with three points, even though they are in a similar situation to their opponents, whereby a win will not help the club achieve any particular goal.
Morecambe sits several places higher than Swindon in 16th, and they could leapfrog Tranmere Rovers with a win on Saturday, provided the Whites suffer a defeat.
However, the Shrimps are on a four-match losing streak as Ged Brannan's team threatens to end the season with a whimper rather than a bang.
It has not been the immediate bounce back to League One that many Morecambe fans would have hoped for following relegation last year, but wrapping the campaign
up with a win will at least provide the fans with a positive finish.
The Shrimps have won more games on the road this season than at home, which should provide some confidence for the travelling supporters. They will undoubtedly expect a little more after a 2-1 defeat to already-relegated Forest Green Rovers.
Swindon Town League Two form:
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
Morecambe League Two form:
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
Swindon opted to bring club captain Charlie Austin straight back into the starting lineup last weekend, and the experienced forward will likely lead the line once again for the hosts.
Young Harley Hunt also featured from the beginning against Grimsby and the academy prospect could be given more minutes to wrap up the season.
Donald Love started for Morecambe in midweek for the first time since October following a long-term injury, and he will no doubt be looking for some more minutes to end the season positively ahead of the new campaign.
However, the Shrimps will likely have to continue without Brandon Barker, Jake Taylor and Max Melbourne, all of whom are dealing with various injury issues.
Unfortunately, Morecambe was unable to pay players and staff on time this week which could have an impact on the squad for Saturday as several first-team players have threatened to not play.
Nobody was officially named and it remains to be seen whether anybody will refuse to play, but a club statement promised they will do their best to ensure a team takes to the field against Swindon.
Swindon Town possible starting lineup:
Bycroft; Blake-Tracy, Hunt, Godwin-Malife; Ofoborh; McGregor, Kokolo, Devoy, McEachron; Glatzel, Austin
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Mair; Senior, Rawson, Harrack, Tutonda; Khumbeni, Love; Edwards, McKieran, Slew; Brown
We say: Swindon Town 1-1 Morecambe
It has been a disappointing campaign for both teams, with each likely looking forward to the season drawing to a close this weekend.
With that in mind, it would not be a surprise to see them battle it out to a draw, particularly due to the poor form Swindon and Morecambe have coming into this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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