Wanderers Head Coach Steven Schumacher wants his side to “keep the momentum going” but he is wary of the threat that Swindon Town pose ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup second-round tie.
The Whites are heading to Wiltshire this weekend where Ian Holloway’s in-form Robins await. Swindon are currently second in Sky Bet League Two and knocked Rotherham United out to reach this stage.
Previewing the fixture at the County Ground, Schumacher told Wanderers TV: “We’re up against a team who are playing well at the minute, they haven’t lost in seven or eight games so they are coming into it full of confidence, they’ve also beaten two League One teams in cup competitions in that run, so they will come into it themselves full of belief.
“We go there and we’re thinking it’s going to be a tough game, it’s the FA Cup second-round, both clubs will have an eye on getting into that third-round draw, so we have to make sure that we play well to try and do that.
“The players believe in each other and everything that we’re asking them to do, they seem to be playing with a freedom in the last two games, to go away to Luton Town and play as well as we did in the first 45 minutes and to play against League One opposition on Tuesday and perform that well, you’ve got to be playing with some sort of confidence, we want that to continue and winning helps that confidence and keep the momentum going.
“There’s always twists and turns in the FA Cup. Swindon are more than capable, they are going really well in League Two and they’ve got a really experienced manager who will have them fired up to try and take a scalp and beat a team from a division above them, so we have to be prepared for that.
“We’ll go there with the mindset that we will have to work really hard and play as equally as we did on Tuesday night to try and get the result that we want.
“There’s always a pressure to win a game of football, especially at a club this size, but it is a different type of pressure and it’s been exciting and refreshing, you don’t often get two cup games in a week, one to get into the last 16 of one competition and one to get in the third-round, where everybody wants to be in this FA Cup competition.
“We’re looking forward to it and it should be a good afternoon as long as we come home with the result that we want, and we’re in the hat, then we’re all happy.”
Schumacher has been impressed with his squad’s attitude and application throughout the 2025/26 season and he is looking forward to another Emirates FA Cup clash, a competition he is passionate about.
He added: “The players’ attitude has been really good this year in every game we’ve played against U21s teams and League Two opposition, we’ve played Championship teams in the Carabao Cup, so no matter what, their application to the game has been good, so I wouldn’t expect anything less on Saturday.
“You can’t look too far ahead but I love the FA Cup, it’s exciting and the goal is to try and get in the hat and see what happens next.”
Watch Steven’s full pre-match interview on Wanderers TV by clicking here!