MARK Cooper revealed yesterday that he was surprised by the reaction to his team selection at Preston and the press and supporters should have been focusing on the performance.

The manager would like all Town followers – the media included – to get on board with the club’s push for the Championship.

Quite right too, you might say. Yet Cooper and the club should also be reminded it is rather difficult to do so when you are being kept at arm’s length.

With the utmost respect to Mr Cooper, his side losing 3-0 was not the most interesting or newsworthy thing to occur a Deepdale.

The resting of seven first team players in front of more than 700 travelling, expectant supporters and the surrender of three points rather eclipsed a drab display with little attacking intent – a point I, among others, made afterwards.

Cooper believes the media went to town on his team at Preston, but the truth is that his approach to the build-up to the play-offs has merited scrutiny.

The part about resting players so they are fresh I understand, everyone does.

However, when Cooper talks about the feeling of negativity surrounding the club going into the play-offs, where does he think that has come from?

Any chance it could be because his side have not won in four games?

The County Ground chief believes momentum is unimportant, home advantage is unimportant and the opposition are unimportant. By ruling out the significance of all aspects of the run-in he has done little to build the fervour he is asking for.

Cooper wants everyone to get together behind the club and make no bones about it, the Swindon Advertiser remains completely behind Town’s bid to reach the Championship via the play-offs – and we urge you to do the same.

Yet our attempts to reach out – last month, we put together a week-long campaign to get more fans through the gate for the key MK Dons game over Easter – have been rebuffed.

We asked the club to get behind it and they declined – just as they have when repeatedly asked for an explanation, or even reason for the Adver’s current media ban – four months after its implementation.

The club’s job is to make the play-offs a party everyone wants to go to.

But some of the invites seem to have been lost in the post.