Speers is encouraged overall by the performance of his side - 

'I’m a big believer that pre-season is for the legs – but obviously I like winning – I like to win, and especially after the way we lost to Cheltenham Saracens, we were really dominant, but we were the Slimbridge of old then, and conceded some very poor goals, but since then – being a Centre Back I put a lot of emphasis on not conceding, and have a pride in not conceding - and against Yate, in possession I thought we were superb.

We’re learning how to manage a game better – first fifteen, twenty tonight (against Brimscombe) , we were a little bit sloppy, we couldn’t work them out, but once we’d worked them out….

I love watching us in possession of the ball, we were really good on the ball, we displayed really good intelligence. 

It’s very open in that dressing room – for the first five minutes at half time, and at the beginning of the game, it’s ‘Has anybody got anything to say?’ It’s so open, because they’re the ones who come out. I can say ‘Do this, do this do this, do this..’ but if they don’t buy into it it’s nothing. It has to be an ‘us’ not an ‘us telling them’ - we’re all in this together, so it’s about communicating better with the players, and if they’re not comfortable with some thing then we can talk about it and vice-versa. 

One thing you ask of players as Coaches is for them to be coachable.. It’s important that they buy into what we do, and then we give them the ideas, and then they express it on the pitch. 

I’ve been banging the drum since the first session that I want a squad – there’s no point in having eleven, you need to be able to look on your bench…We’re a ‘we’, and they are definitely all buying into it, and it’s good to see, because it’s actually showing – we’ve had 80% of that squad in our first training session, and it shows…

I really want to get involved now, and I can’t wait for the season to start – we’ve got no excuses – he majority of them have done all the training sessions – it’s all well and good doing it in pre season, but now it really starts..'

The Swans entertain Weston Super Mare next Tuesday at Thornhill Park (7.45pm), before ending their pre-season with the visit of Highworth Town on Saturday  (3.00pm)