MICHAEL Timlin is hoping to provide some festive cheer for Town fans at Leyton Orient on Boxing Day as he looks to draw a line under Swindon’s “shocking” start to the season.

Timlin made a scoring return to the starting line-up in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Yeovil, and admits to having a nervous glance at the League One table the following morning.

The former Fulham man, pictured, has promised to spend Christmas Day mentally preparing himself for the trip to Orient, in the hope that three points will be the only outcome.

Said Timlin: “Football is your job and any player should be thinking about it on Christmas Day. The next two games are massive for the club as a whole.

“We can’t kid ourselves and say we’re alright because we’re just outside the relegation zone.

“We need to get the points and it’s starting to show on the table now.

“The situation we are in now is shocking in a way.

“With the squad we’ve got here we should be easily mid-table or pushing up even more.

“It’s not about playing well any more, it’s about grinding out results now.

“It has to start with this game against Leyton Orient.

“They have been doing well lately, they will probably be confident of beating us.”

Timlin added: “If we go there with the right attitude I’m sure we will get something.

“We just need that consistency throughout the game, rather than in spells.”