Swindon Town manager Ben Garner has insisted that his side's League Two encounter with Mansfield Town next Tuesday is more important than their FA Cup tie against giants Manchester City.

With the Robins only two points off the League Two automatic promotion places, Garner hopes his side can start to build momentum in their league campaign after a 5-2 home win against fellow promotion hopefuls Northampton Town on New Year's Day, their first win in four matches. Their next league game takes them to Field Mill, just four days after they face the Champions of England and runaway Premier League leaders.

Garner insists that there will be no difference in preparation for facing Manchester City on Friday, and also talks about how important it is for his side to respect every opponent, quoted by the Manchester Evening News.

“Consistency is key because with this week, if we prepared in a completely different way and we put a lot more focus on this game then, for me, that is disrespectful when we play Mansfield on Tuesday night, which for me is a big game.

“I know that this is a fantastic game for the football club and huge for the supporters and yes we want to do well, but, you know, I would love to get three points at Mansfield on Tuesday night.

Despite not getting overexcited in preparing his side for a mammoth test, Garner completely understands how important games like this are for Swindon, who not so long ago were facing uncertainty, and described it as a "reward" to the club's long standing supporters.

“I’m delighted for the supporters,”

"What they’ve gone through and the hard times they have had with their football club to now have this game, it is a fantastic reward.

The Verdict

First of all, there is no hiding how big of an occasion it is for a club in League Two to play the Premier League Champions but Garner's approach seems to be the right one. Not allowing anyone in the professional side of the club will keep his players focused on the job in hand, which will be to give a good account of themselves against City , but then afterwards not allowing the wheels to fall off in their bid to bounce back to League One.