MIDFIELDER James Dunne believes progress on Swindon Town’s shape and formation is coming along nicely ahead of the club’s latest pre-season fixture at Chippenham Town tonight (7.45pm).

Dunne is expected to start at Hardenhuish Park against Mark Collier’s men alongside the rest of Phil Brown’s Swindon XI from the second half of Saturday’s game against West Bromwich Albion.

That squad included promising youngster Scott Twine, new goalkeeper Luke McCormick as well as a host of academy scholars.

It is the first time Brown’s men are expected to play a full 90 minutes, but Dunne believes a tough warm-weather training in camp has stood Town in good stead regarding fitness levels.

He said: “The manager wants to get some more minutes into us.

“Saturday was a good run-out, and when you have that extended game, it allows more players to get a decent run-out.

“The training that we were doing in Spain was more fitness and ball work in the morning.

“We had the gym in the afternoon and the third session was based on shape, which is beginning to form.

“Those partnerships are showing too. We’ve been doing more training as we build up to the first game of the season.”

The Town players did three training sessions per day in Spain and there was also time for the squad to develop off-pitch understandings of each other amid England’s World Cup run.

“It was hot weather and obviously that creates a bond and allows us to get to know the new players a little better,” said Dunne.

“We’ve been back for three weeks now, then we had the week together where you’re literally on top of each other.

“Friendships bond because of that. We went out for a meal and watched England, which was good.”

Dunne has been impressed by forward Elijah Adebayo – who marked his first game in Swindon colours against West Brom on Saturday with a goal.

The Town midfielder, who is suspended for the first three league games of the season after picking up a red card in the last game of the 2017-18 campaign against champions Accrington Stanley in May, admitted positive early signs are starting to shine through.

He said: “I was impressed with Elijah (Adebayo) all week when we were away in Spain. In training, he’s been really good and he seemed to carry that on. He got his goal from a great ball from Matt (Taylor).

“It was tough, but I thought we played well on Saturday. The boys were at it in the first half and West Brom struggled to reach into our half for the first 20 minutes.

“But that’s how clinical they can be – first time in the box and they scored a goal. And the same applies to all three of their chances. In the second half, I thought the young lads were brilliant.”

n Updates from tonight’s match on Twitter via @AdverSport, plus report, reaction & pictures at swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport and in tomorrow’s Swindon Advertiser.