RESEARCH into League Two trends has helped Swindon Town manager Richie Wellens understand that his side’s next two fixtures could determine the outcome of the club’s achievements this season.

The 39-year-old Town boss has had to deal with several key injuries and suspensions to date this season, but still finds his squad placed inside the division’s play-off frame with 13 fixtures played.

Having replaced the injured Dion Conroy and departed Dan Ballard – whose loan stay was cut short through injury – Wellens now wants a full-strength squad to make a statement when they visit table topping Crewe this afternoon.

So keen is the former midfielder to mark today as a new chapter in the club’s 2019-20 campaign, he has banned the word ‘injury’ in an attempt to blinker players’ promotion goal.

He said: “We have got two games to go until we reach 15, and if we can pick up a good return, we would like to think we are going to be in or around the top seven.

“I still think we should have four points more than what we have because of our good performances in the first nine games.

“One word I am going to ban is injuries. We have had them, we have had to deal with them, we have got on with it, and we are still in the top seven.

“Hopefully we are not going to have another horrendous run of injuries like we have had.”

Crewe boss David Artell is currently the 11th longest serving Football League manager having joined the club in January 2017.

Wellens admits it’s no great coincidence that a team at the top of the League Two table can boast such a record – time is seemingly everything.

He added: “At any club, especially in Leagues One and Two, stability is the best thing.

“Newport’s Mike Flynn is a fine example of this.

“I came in last year and had a squad of 28 players and only really rated four or five of them – that is a massive problem.

“We made a lot of signings, far too many.

“But what we know now is that the next transfer window in January – and next summer – we only need one or two.”