Depth charge: Swindon Town's second-half substitutions lack bite again, as County Ground rediscovers its quiet anger

It was the environment that defined much of the years preceding Ian Holloway's appointment, as the managers and head coaches who came before struggled to achieve a sense of collective purpose, partially through poor results, partially through poor performances.

In 2025, that underlying tension gently evaporated as Swindon put together a series of performances which, if often far from being sensational, bore fruit and generated the sort of high drama which supporters so desperately need.

Even in the back end of last season, as Swindon's promotion bid fell apart, there was mostly an attempt by the fanbase to keep their dissent to a minimum.