Swindon forced to ditch friendly plans due to 'unprecedented' injury crisis
Swindon Town, who are due to face Northampton at Sixfields on the first day of the new League Two season, have announced the decision not to send their first-team to Saturday’s final friendly against Forest Green Rovers due to an ‘unprecedented number of injuries’ suffered in pre-season.
The Robins, who lost two more players during Tuesday’s Leyton Orient 2-1, are due to kick-off the new campaign against Cardiff in the Carabao Cup before heading to Sixfields the following weekend.
A trip to Forest Green was meant to be the club’s final pre-season game before the competitive stuff started, but they will now be leaving their first-team players at home.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the club said: “Following careful consideration after an unprecedented number of injuries during our 2026/27 pre-season campaign, the club has made the decision to field a Swindon Town XI for this Saturday's fixture against Forest Green Rovers.
“We fully appreciate that many supporters may have already purchased tickets and made travel arrangements for Saturday’s match against Forest Green Rovers, so the club felt it was important the fixture still went ahead in some capacity.
“However, following two more injuries sustained on Tuesday evening and following in-depth conversations with our medical department, we felt it was important to protect our first-team players ahead of our Carabao Cup first round clash against Cardiff City on the 8th of August.
“While we appreciate that this will leave some supporters feeling frustrated, we still hope we can provide you with an entertaining encounter on Saturday.”
The news comes two days after Ian Holloway launched a remarkable rant after his side’s 3-1 defeat to Bristol City on Saturday.
"Pre-season's a joke – always has been, always will be,” said Holloway. “Imposters wandering around. If you have a brilliant pre-season, you win every game, you can start the season like a bunch of idiots.
"What we're trying to do is get people who understand it's nice if you win, it's nice if you get rewarded for your good stuff, but they've just showed me what I've got to look at.
"How can you take a throw-in here? How can you take a throw-in here and not make them go back towards their goal and let you let a goal in?
"Absolute garbage. Terrible back line, awful midfield. The back line should be talking to the midfield. So, got some wonderful coaching points.
"Great goal by them, but that's what we should have stopped. They had to throw it this way; they should be allowed to go through the middle of us. That's in a war, we're dead.
"So, the truth about it: absolute tinpot garbage. That is in the Swindon area, that is right on our doorstep, that's got to be headed out.
"I will look at that. And if anybody continues to do it then I'll have to get rid of them. If anybody didn't do their job, we'll have to show them. Hopefully, they'll do it better, or we'll have to get rid of them because we've got to move forward."