WE’RE without a game this weekend but we’ll still be working hard as we prepare for a huge game against Swindon Town on Tuesday.

We have suffered two painful defeats against them already this season and we do feel like we have a score to settle against them.

Their manager (Paulo Di Canio) has had plenty to say about how Swindon are the best team in the league and will end up as champions this year.

But we’re a good team too and we don’t take things like that lightly.

When Swindon beat us at Roots Hall in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in December they made a lot of noise in the dressing room after the game so we’re definitely out for revenge.

We spoke at the time about getting our own back and that’s what we will be trying to do.

At the same time we respect that it’s going to be hard because Swindon are an extremely tough side to play against.

They have a good side and a winning mentality but this is a huge game with them pushing hard to make it in to the automatic promotion places.

They’re only three points behind now and we will also be looking to bounce back from losing at Shrewsbury Town last weekend.

I made the decision not to travel to the game as my wife was due to give birth to our third child.

The baby was expected to be born last Tuesday but we’re still waiting. We have an appointment with the midwife coming up and hopefully the baby will be born before the weekend because my wife is in quite a lot of discomfort at the moment.

It was therefore an easy decision to make that I would not go to Shrewsbury because family very much comes first for me.

I obviously take the football very seriously as well and I listened to the game on the radio.

You sit there trying to picture what’s going on and it made for quite frustrating listening.

I have to confess to kicking the couch a few times and throwing the kids’ toys around. But sometimes it really can be difficult to play against 10 men.

Nine times out of 10 you will go on to get something out of the game but there are times when the other team raise their game and the referee gives them everything to make up for the red card.

From speaking to the lads that’s what happened at the weekend. But that’s gone now and we have to be focused on playing Swindon.

It’s been a good week in training and it’s been great to see Harry Crawford running again.

He’s a smashing lad who has had a nasty injury and all the lads are delighted to see him closing in on a return.

BARKER WAS SURPRISE WINNER

We had a brilliant day out racing go-karts at the Rayleigh Indoor Karting Stadium.

Chris Barker surprised us all by winning on the day, but some of the other lads were awful.

Kane Ferdinand, in particular, looked like he was going round on the groundsman’s tractor rather than a go-kart.

There were some hilarious moments too and Alex Woodyard was quite entertaining – especially when he took his eyes off the track to take the mickey out of Mark Phillips for crashing – but then smacked in to the back of me.

Being a senior pro I think the younger lads were out to smash me off the track and some of the moves we all put in were disgraceful!

It was a great day though and we will definitely be going back again soon.

FULL COLUMN IN THURSDAY'S ECHO