Holloway explained decisions behind mass changes for Fleetwood

Ian Holloway explained the need for an addition of freshness was behind his six changes for Swindon Town’s 3-1 win over Fleetwood Town.

Having been battered 4-0 at Colchester United five days before returning home to play The Cod Army, Holloway made changes throughout his side and it paid off as they won their first league match since October.

There was a change between the sticks as Jack Bycroft was replaced by Norwich City loanee Dan Barden for the second time this season.

Holloway said: “It was only to do with mentally freshening up the team.

“When you have seen your defenders make so many mistakes and you can’t keep the ball out of the net then it gets you down.

“He didn’t agree with me but he took it the right way as I just wanted someone with a fresh mindset who maybe hasn’t been feeling sorry for himself because you can catch that as easily as you can catch a cold.”

There were also multiple changes at the back which saw captain Ollie Clarke return and be deployed as a right-sided centre-back.

Holloway said: “Ollie is a brilliant player; he is our Rodri and he is important to us because he sets the tone with how to tackle someone.

“He is so brave, he is absolutely fearless, and he is an energiser; so, I put him in that back line which has been struggling a little bit as it has been looking too pretty and too nice.

“I almost took Will [Wright] out as well because he looked like he was carrying the weight of it all.

“He is going to be able to play anywhere that I put him and him being at the back means that he can step in and we can play a little bit more.”

Clarke was brought in in place of Grant Hall and Ryan Delaney, with Harrison Minturn also returning.

He said: “I thought that Grant made a huge difference when he came on today, so I got my two senior lads back in the team somehow and it makes a huge difference.

“Minturn came in as well and I thought he did brilliantly as we have had a little bit of a slow back line.

“I left Delaney out because although he has been fantastic, he looked tired and he will have seen the lads do that and be hungry to be part of it.

“I didn’t drop him, I gave him a mental and physical rest.”