SWINDON’S overachievement this season has come at a price this weekend as seven of Mark Cooper’s team go and represent their country at senior and youth level.

That has resulted in an 18-day break between games, adding extra pressure into the penultimate month of the campaign.

Town now play Saturday – Tuesday from the start of April to the end of the season, resulting in eight games in 24 days, with five of those fixtures involving a side who are either looking to earn automatic promotion or earn a play-off place.

Despite the disruption it brings Town, there is no doubt that all of the players selected fully deserve to be mentioned in the International scene after leading the club to new heights this season.

Another player who deserves his shock call-up to the England senior team is former Town loanee Ryan Mason.

It’s hard to even contemplate that just 14 months after limping off the County Ground pitch in his last game for Town, he would be a regular for Spurs and now making his way into Roy Hodgson’s squad.

It shows the feeder club model put in place by clubs like Town to help find the future players of this country is working.

In the past week Town have introduced a new face into the squad for the final lap of what has been an extraordinary season.

Welsh international defender Sam Ricketts has joined on loan until the end of the season from Championship side Wolves and the 33-year-old brings a lot of experience with him.

He has been a Championship play-off final winner, captaining Wolves to the 2013/14 League One title, being named in the PFA Team of the Year last season and earning 52 caps.

His versatile nature at the back will make him a key player for Town in the remaining nine games of the season.

After weeks of being understaffed at the back this signing could not come soon enough with Nathan Thompson just one booking away from suspension and the quick turnaround of games coming up in April.

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