RAFFA De Vita doesn’t believe a dodgy playing surface will be Swindon Town’s biggest challenge when they visit Crawley this weekend, as he expects the hosts to give the Robins a run for their money.

Heavy rain caused Crawley’s midweek clash with Preston to be called off due to a waterlogged pitch at the Broadfield Stadium, and reports suggest conditions will not have improved greatly by the time Town arrive in Sussex on Saturday.

Swindon are used to wet surfaces, however, having played in a bog at Bournemouth and a lake at Leyton Orient in recent weeks, and De Vita feels the opposition rather than the elements will pose the biggest threat to ending the Robins’ eight-match unbeaten run.

“I think there’s a good chance that will happen, I don’t think it will be a good pitch. I think we did well at Leyton Orient, I think we passed the ball well even though the pitch wasn’t the best so hopefully we should do the same on Saturday.

“It doesn’t really suit our style because our system is made up of a lot of passes and quick football. It is probably going to suit them more than us but we coped really well on Tuesday so I think we can do it again.

“Leyton Orient was definitely a game we should have won, we had enough chances. Unfortunately we didn’t and at least we got one point and can carry on with the unbeaten run.

“Three games I’ve witnessed (against Crawley) and more or less every time it’s been a hammering. The tension last year was about the manager and he’s not there and more so I think the tension was more about him coming out with comments.

“We always seem to do well against them. This season it was probably one of the best games we’ve played so hopefully that will happen again.”

Joe Devera is struggling with a hamstring injury, while Troy Archibald-Henville remains sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery.