Ian Holloway is confident that Swindon Town are in a place to be able to perform even without having their captain Ollie Clarke available.
During Saturday’s game against Walsall, Clarke picked up his tenth yellow card of the season after 22 minutes and that will see him suspended for the home match against Salford City this week and for the trip to Doncaster Rovers this weekend.
The former Mansfield Town midfielder has been a massive asset this season with what he brings with his play and leadership, both in the middle and at the back during the last two matches.
However, Holloway feels that the development of the team will mean that it is not as big of an issue as it once would have been.
He said: “He will still be sorely missed because of the personality that he is and the strength that he gives those around him, but everybody is in a much better place now.
“Ryan [Delaney] is fresh and ready to go, Tunmise [Sobowale] came on and did well, so we are going to be stronger in those areas even though we are losing Ollie.
“We will miss him but it is an opportunity for Ryan to come back in and so I have still got that experience.
“I am more than quite pleased with how the defence is doing.
“The way that they are going about the unit work that Gav[in Gunning] does with them.
“Talking about what I might have added and what I might have changed, they have done some individual and some unit work with Gavin that was not happening before.
“A lot of that work has been about the attention to detail, but that detail was there before, it is just how the lads are picking it up, remembering it, and doing it.
“They have got different values now and I think that the senior lads who I have added have made a huge difference to the other senior lads and they are all acting in the right way.
“For example, Tom Nichols, I thought he was outstanding on Saturday, we have got 20 points out of 27 since he has been here.
“He hasn’t scored yet but it doesn’t matter because of what he does for us, what he says in the dressing room, and what he brings with and without the ball with his excellence.
Holloway added that Clarke likely would not have played anyway as a soreness in his calf likely would have seen him rested for the match.
He said: “I thought that the yellow card was a poor one, to be fair to Ollie he normally gets under someone and deserves a yellow but that was not one of them.
“He has got a sore calf, so he probably wouldn’t have made it this Tuesday anyway but that is life.
“The sports science people have hit me with the data and I am enjoying asking them questions about whether there are any risks to whoever is left and Ollie would have been in that.”
