SWINDON Town manager Richie Wellens is hoping that Kyle Bennett’s drop down to League Two will help the winger play with renewed confidence as the Bristol Rovers loanee looks to help his new club end the season on a high.

Bennett had made 26 appearances for Rovers this season – scoring one goal – but when Darrell Clarke left the Memorial Stadium midway through December, the winger found himself out of new manager Graham Coughlan’s plans and sought pastures new.

Swindon manager Wellens has made no secret of the fact he wanted another wide player to add balance to a spine-heavy squad at the Energy Check County Ground, so when the opportunity to sign the talented 28-year-old came about, he wasted no time in taking it.

The Town chief admitted during BBC Wiltshire’s fans’ phone-in on Friday that Bennett had all the ingredients he wanted in a new signing, and Wellens hopes the former Wolverhampton Wanderers trainee can show the County Ground faithful what he is capable of.

Wellens said: “Kyle is an extremely talented footballer and has obviously played at this level before – he won promotion with Portsmouth and won League One with Doncaster.

“He can take balls in any area of the pitch, he’s got good pedigree and I’m hoping that – because he is dropping a level – he can play with a bit of swagger.

“He hasn’t been playing week in, week out at Bristol Rovers, but I’m hoping I can give him a lot of confidence to express himself.”

Wellens also referenced Town’s woeful form at home this season – only six wins have been recorded at the County Ground, while Swindon have failed to score 10 times in front of their own fans this term.

Since the former Oldham Athletic manager took over at SN1, results have not improved on home turf. Town have won two, drawn two and lost four on familiar territory since mid-November.

Yet away from home, Wellens’ record paints a contrasting picture. Swindon have only lost once away from Wiltshire, with wins recorded at Port Vale, Macclesfield Town and Tranmere Rovers.

The 38-year-old manager is hoping Bennett can be the missing piece of the attacking puzzle as Town attempt to find a way past the four struggling teams left to play at the County Ground this season.

Wellens said: “I’ve found a system that works away from home, we’ve lost one in six.

“It is the home form that is concerning me moving forward. We need players that can create.

“At the moment, we’ve got too many players that are passers and want to play in front of players.

“But Kyle Bennett can play that final pass – and along with Michael Doughty and Keshi Anderson, we have got a lot of creativity in the team.

“I’m hoping Marc Richards, Kaiyne Woolery, Theo Robinson and Ben House can add to that.”