Cox sets his goal targets even higher at Swindon Town

Heading to promotion-chasing Leeds United today Simon Cox has set himself the challenge of launching a new goal spree.

The fact that the Swindon Town striker reached 20 goals at Colchester on Tuesday was over-shadowed by the 3-2 defeat, with the headlines focusing on Swindon's fallibility at the back rather than their threat up front.

It will be the Robins' defence that will determine whether they get anything out of today's match at Elland Road but that shouldn't detract from Cox's achievement that has confirmed his status as one of the most potent strikers in League One.

"It was nice to reach 20 goals in the week," said Cox. "On a personal note it was a target I set after reaching 15 and now I am setting another target to reach 25 and have a nice bottle of champagne at home waiting when I reach that.

"If I can get 25 that would be great in what is my first full season as a professional. There are still a lot of points and goals to be had this season so I'm going for it."

Not that Cox had found it easy. While he started the season in fantastic form, the goals have been harder to come by since Christmas – a reflection of Town's struggles since then.

"I had never gone five or six games without a goal until December and that was a terrible month for me," added Cox.

"Then I got one or two goals and then another five or six games went by. At the start of the season they were coming more frequently and I'm looking for that to happen again starting at Leeds on Saturday.

"Having scored on Tuesday I'm more relaxed. Obviously I want to score every game but I'm not going to beat myself up about it if I don't because it is not all about me scoring goals.

"It is about the team playing well and picking up points and whether it is Billy Paynter, Blair Sturrock or defenders coming up for set pieces and they score for us and we win that is all that matters. It is not all about Simon Cox."

If Swindon are to get anything from today's match then they will have to keep Leeds' top striker Jermaine Beckford quiet. Beckford has scored 28 goals in all competitions and helped himself to a hat-trick against Yeovil Town on Tuesday night – his third of the season.

"Beckford is a great player and you can see why other clubs have been looking at him," said Cox.

"He has shown great loyalty to the club when he could have moved on and two seasons in a row scoring over 25 goals is a great achievement.

"He is their main threat and he'll be buzzing after the hat-trick against Yeovil Town. We will have to keep him quiet."

If Town can do that and Cox can find the net again they may well confound the odds and take something from Elland Road.

Swindon (away v Leeds): Brezovan; Amankwaah, Greer, Morrison, Vincent; Robson-Kanu, Tudur-Jones, Timlin, McNamee; Cox, Paynter; Ifil, Nalis, Marshall, Razak, Smith, Sturrock.