Swindon Town have announced that Mark Kennedy has been sacked as the club’s manager after five months in charge, with the club just above the League Two relegation zone having won just twice so far this season.
A statement on the club’s website said: “Swindon Town have parted company with Head Coach Mark Kennedy. Marcus Bignot, Steve Mildenhall and Gavin Gunning will continue in their current positions, with all three first team coaches in place to oversee this weekend’s game against Gillingham.
Kennedy’s last game in charge was Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Salford City, the club’s sixth defeat in the league and eighth in all competitions so far this season. The result left them in 22nd place in League Two, just one place and three points above the relegation zone.
Where did it go wrong for Kennedy?
Kennedy was appointed manager of the Robins in May, having been out of work since being sacked by Lincoln City in October 2023. The club failed to win any of his first five league games, drawing away to Chesterfield, Crewe and Barrow while losing at home to Walsall and Notts County.
During that time they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the First Round by Crawley Town, as well as losing their opening Bristol Street Motors Trophy game at Exeter City. His first win in charge finally came at the eighth attempt on 14 September, a 4-0 victory at home to Newport County.
However, another run of two points in four games following before a Bristol Street Motors Trophy win over Bristol Rovers and league win over Cheltenham Town, but two further defeats to Doncaster Rovers and Salford City proved to be the end of the line after just five months.
What have been Swindon’s problems?
At first glance, Swindon don’t seem to have been doing that badly when compared to the rest of the division. They have scored 14 goals, with their top scorer Will Wright having netted three. The goals have been shared around, with nine different players getting on the scoresheet in the league. This tally is actually higher than six different sides in the league and equal with another two.
They have kept three clean sheets- the win over Newport and goalless draws with Crewe Alexandra and Harrogate Town. Overall they have conceded 19 goals, which is a tally better than five teams. Perhaps where the problem lies is the fact they have been unable to get any momentum going, having not won back-to-back league games so far.
Of their 13 games in League Two, five have been draws. Such is how close the table is this season if they had been able to convert just two of those draws into wins, they would actually be up in 16th- and only six points off the play-offs.
What’s next for Swindon Town?
Tomorrow the Robins host 11th placed Gillingham, who have themselves lost their last five games to slip down the table after a promising start to the season. Next weekend the FA Cup First Round sees Swindon host fellow strugglers Colchester United before their final Bristol Street Motors Trophy group game against Tottenham Hotspur Under 21s.
With games against fellow strugglers Accrington Stanley and Morecambe, and another meeting with Colchester, to come in the next few weeks there will be several opportunities for Swindon to pick up their form and get themselves away from danger.
There is often a debate over whether the distraction of cup games is a good or bad thing. In Swindon’s case, having only tasted victory three times in sixteen matches in all competitions, they need all the results they can get, regardless of which competition it is in.