SWINDON Town striker Jerry Yates reflected on a ‘perfect’ afternoon as his new side kicked off their League Two campaign with a 2-0 away win at Scunthorpe United.

After a competitive but relatively chanceless first-half at the Sands Venue Stadium, Yates opened the scoring for his new club on the hour mark before Keshi Anderson – who was given a surprise start by manager Richie Wellens – added a second 10 minutes later.

Town defended stoutly for the remainder of the game and could have added a touch more gloss to the scoreline if strikes from Anderson had been struck a little more sweetly and Kaiyne Woolery had not slipped on a breakaway.

Nonetheless, Richie Wellens’ men ended matchday one in fourth place and Town’s number nine called their opening day victory ‘perfect.’

Yates said: “We came here with the idea to win and we’ve perfected the plan, so it was a good start for the lads.

“It’s obviously nice to get off the mark on a personal note, but more importantly, it’s the three points, especially at a place like this.

“This is a tough place to come, so it’s a really good three points to pick up.

“We’ve got a lot of pace in the side, so hopefully that will serve us well this season.

“They had a couple of big lads at the back, and they’re very experienced, so it was a very tough afternoon.

“But in the end, we’ve done well, I’ve got my goal and the lads have got the three points, so perfect.”

The Rotherham loanee produced a typically energetic performance on opening day and gave the two Scunthorpe centre-backs plenty to think about, while Yates could also have won a penalty for his side following a collision in the area at the beginning of the second period.

The 22-year-old insisted his constant running is merely a product of the hard work he put in during pre-season, but admitted a strike partner to take care of the physical centre backs generally found in the league would not go amiss as he prefers to concentrate on finding the back of the net.

Yates said: “It’s really tough trying to stay fit in pre-season. I would say I’m more of a short, sharp player, I’d struggle if it was a longer game.

“I’ll always work hard, that’s a given and that should be a given for any player.

“It’d be nice to have someone up there with me, but it’s just a different way of playing.

“I don’t mind if it’s me on my own, me and Kaiyne, me and Keshi or whoever. Either way, we’ll get goals this season.”