DAVID Flitcroft has urged County Ground regulars to keep faith with his faltering squad, promising that his Swindon Town side will have a ‘different’ complexion about it heading into 2018.

While Flitcroft’s summer arrival ushered in a new approach and outlook at the club, many of their supporters have yet to see the tangible results with the 11 points garnered from 11 games on home turf contrasting sharply with the bulk of their away displays.

Town are already uncomfortably more than halfway towards the 10 league games they lost in Wiltshire last season but while they are nowhere near the kind of relegation quandary that afflicted that campaign under the previous regime, there is a perception problem when it comes to measuring the progress made under Flitcroft.

His side will attempt to arrest a run of five straight defeats with a trip to struggling Crewe Alexandra on Saturday but the manager has already spoken of the rejuvenation opportunities the January transfer window offers for his squad and is hoping to give the home faithful something to cheer about when the new year ticks around.

“It (the struggles at home) is the one thing that has disappointed me to the core,’’ said the County Ground chief.

“It’s something we desperately want to get right for the home fans and something we will endeavour with everything we have got to try to get right. That’s all I can really promise at this point and I am hoping that the home fans stick with it because when we come out in the start of January, we will certainly look different.’’

Town blew their latest opportunity to shine in front of their own support with last Friday’s 3-2 defeat to Colchester and with the festive season visits of leaders Luton and fellow top-three outfit Notts County looming large, the task of turning their home form on its head gets no easier.

“There is pressure on every game,’’ added Flitcroft. “It was a really important game for us on Friday night to try to experiment as a club, to try to get different fans in and try to send them home happy for Christmas.

“We have not been able to do that. It gives us an opportunity now to clear our heads and get back on it so that we put in a very competitive performance against Crewe next Saturday."