Judging by the way that Swindon ended last season – just two wins out of the final eleven matches and relegation to League Two – fans could be forgiven for thinking anything could be better than what they have been through recently. While the appointment of new manager David Flitcroft has been greeted with enthusiasm in most quarters, there still seems to be a worrying silence concerning any new signings – something that the club sorely need. With one of the biggest budgets in the league Swindon should be competing this season and are tipped by the pundits to be challenging for a play off place at least. But with the fixture list now released supporters could well have mixed feelings about the upcoming campaign. Tough Start Flitcroft is hopeful that he can keep hold of keeper Lawrence Vigouroux who has attracted attention from clubs from the leagues above and he will need some of that talent to ensure a good start to the season. A long trip to Carlisle on the first day of the campaign is a daunting one considering they made the play offs last term. A visit to Norwich in the League Cup could be something of a respite before the first home game of the season against another side that made the top six last year – Exeter City. Points on the Board Swindon will hope that they have already got something out of their first two games but should be able to add to their points tally with the next match against Morecambe. Crawley at home the week after is harder to call due to the arrival of another new manager – former international footballer Harry Kewell. It will be interesting to see how he can turn around that club while Swindon fans will be hoping that Flitcroft will be seeing results from his efforts. Hard Work The first two weekends of September include a home game against Barnet and a visit to Luton. Swindon should expect three points from the first match – although Jamal Campbell-Ryce in the Bees side is one reason why it may not be a definite three points. Yet another play off team from last season is next in line in the form of Luton, who will be looking to do better this campaign. Clearer Picture Although it will be very early days at this point Swindon – and Flitcroft – will have a slightly better idea of how tough this season will be after these six matches. Playing some of the best sides in the division will be a good test of Swindon’s own promotion capabilities. Taking into consideration that the next couple of games are against new local rivals Forest Green Rovers and relegated big boys Coventry, Swindon could probably not have been handed a harder start. Last Season’s Woes The main thing that Flitcroft and his new squad must do is to put the bitter disappointment of last season well behind them. There was a lot of confusion about whether Tim Sherwood was director of football or manager last year but either way he didn’t seem to help the club too much and Swindon now find themselves playing in the fourth tier for the first time since 2012. David Flitcroft has good form in this division; leading Bury to promotion to League One in 2015, and with the money available should be able to do something similar at the County Ground. The lack of new signings is worrying though and he will need to have a settled squad in place before the first few months of the season or it could be a tough time for everyone involved with the club.