Austin pushing for first team start?

The evidence would suggest that a debut first team start for new signing Charlie Austin could be on the cards, as Town's goalscoring woes continue.

At the start of the season, Town's strikeforce looked diminished, as we failed in our attempts to keep prolific goalscorer Simon Cox at the club, who made an inevitable move to Championship outfit West Brom. (Coxy's prolific record has taken a hit since this move as he struggles for first team starts. Di Matteo, if you happen to stumble upon this blog, offer him to us on loan!).

Barry Corr was another striking casualty, as the injury-prone big man didn't get a contract renewal from Wilson, and was subsequently released to later be snapped up by League 1 rivals Exeter City.

The highly slated but hard working Blair Sturrock fell by the wayside as Wilson took charge, being loaned out to Bournemouth and Torquay United, then later being released as his contract ran out at the end of the season. Sturrock now plys his trade for Mansfield Town in the Blue Square Premier.

In January of this year I watched a reserve team fixture against Swansea, mainly to get a look at two trialists who had one last shot to bag a short term contract from Danny Wilson. Frenchman Hamdi Razak earned his contract by scoring a hat-trick, but went on to make only 3 first team appearances in a red-shirt, before being released when his contract came to an end. The other trialist was a certain Jean-Francois Lescinel who can be found today in the left-back position on a weekly basis at The County Ground.

Lee Peacock finally gave in to a long term back injury that had been troubling him for 4 years, and went under the knife. His rehabilitation has kept him out of action since March. Lee made a return in the last game against Hartlepool in his fight to get back to full fitness.

Ben Joyce made his way up from the Swindon Town youth ranks, but last season made only 1 appearance for the first team before being released at the end of the season as another contract victim.

So going into this season, we were left with 2 strikers on the books, one led in the operating theatre and Billy Paynter. Now don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the big scouse, in fact, I'll be the first to say that he had a massive influence last season on keeping us up, and Coxy's goal tally, as well as his own. But Paynter is not an out and out goalscorer.

The transfer window was unkind to Danny Wilson, who had the full financial backing from the board, helped in part by the selling of Simon Cox and the cut wage bill. But as they say, money can't buy you trophies, and in our case, it couldn't buy us players, as we had contracts turned down and players snatched from under our nose, one Theo Robinson a prime case for the latter. Chairman Andrew Fitton went as far as brandishing agents as criminals, and their job as little more than daylight robbery. And on the opening day of the season, Big Bill was the only fit striker on the books, as we got a 5-0 hammering at the hands of League 1 new boys Gillingham.

For the 2nd league game of the season, we had managed to bring in Tope Obadeyi on-loan from Bolton. Then at the end of August, prior to our match with Southend, Wilson announced a Celtic-duo joining the cause on-loan; Ben Hutchinson and Simon Ferry, the former being a striker. And finally, after the Southend game, Wilson told us that Alex Revell, who had played against us just days before, would be joining on-loan from cash strapped Southend.

But still the goals haven't flowed and though we find ourselves in a healthy position just outside the playoffs, we have a goal-difference of -3 and our four strikers - Billy Paynter, Ben Hutchinson, Alex Revell and Tope Obadeyi have scored a measly 9 goals between them so far.

So whats wrong with one last throw of the dice? Stick the 20 year old Austin into the fray and see what he can do? Well if the above facts and figures weren't evidence enough that this would be going through any managers mind, Austin has scored an impressive 4 goals in 3 reserve appearances in a red shirt, bagging two yesterday afternoon against Plymouth. Food for thought perhaps?

Head of Player Development and Reserve Team Manager David Byrne showed a signal of intent for the striker prior to yesterday's reserve clash;

"He's been brought in to score goals and he's doing it with two in two so there's not a lot more we can expect from him. There are still parts of his game that we're working on, as it's a big step from where he's come from but he's keen, eager and most importantly he wants to score goals. He doesn't look out of place fitness wise, but there are still some edges that need to be polished and Danny's working on those on a daily basis. I think he'll prove to be a good addition to the squad."

The club AGM took place last night, and was dominated with on-field questions for Danny Wilson. After being asked about Charlie, Wilson's reply was:

"He has put himself in a great position after a great performance today. His levels of performance are improving and he could be in contention before you know it."

And one final piece of fuel for the fire, the Advertiser are this morning running an article called "Wilson tells strikers to start scoring or face the axe". So with the axe swinging, a gap could be left for Charlie Austin and Lee Peacock.

Oh and before I wrap up, I'll leave you with this comment from the AGM:

"The Club have a fantastic relationship with Simon Cox and we would like to think that if he did come out on loan, then we would be a very serious consideration for him."

Fingers crossed eh?

Town crash as unbeaten streak comes to an abrupt end

Prior to the visit of Chris Turner's Hartlepool United to the County Ground, Town had suffered only one defeat in the league all season, that being the 5-1 thrashing away at Gillingham on the season's opening day. Since then we've been witness to a host of mature and solid performances, so today's performance against Wilson's former employers came as a shock to the system, but perhaps is just what the doctor ordered, ahead of a couple of games against top opposition in Norwich and Leeds.

I was surprisingly sober for the trip to the County Ground, one which we made a little earlier than normal in an attempt to catch Aston Villa's impressive performance as they entertained Chelsea. The night previous I had spent fleecing a few mates playing Poker. Cheers ;-)

In all honesty, it was quite a drab 90 minute display, and by far the worst performance this season bar the Gillingham hammering. The tone of the match was set early on, as Swindon's defensive frailties were exposed all to easily. Kevin Amankwaah, rarely a weak link, wouldn't have made it one round with Anne Robinson, as he Adam Boyd all the time on the edge of the box to fabricate the perfect cross. And when striker James Brown is on the receiving end, you are usually forced to pay, as Town were when Brown headed passed a stranded David Lucas to give Hartlepool the lead 90 seconds into the game.

Town fans, players and manager alike seemed shell shocked, and it was a blow that Swindon would never really recover from. Over the next 7 minutes The Robins tried to put the early sucker punch behind them, with Tope Obadeyi looking lively after returning from a hamstring injury. His antics on the left wing caused problems, and he appeared to have come into the game with a point to prove, but tried to hard as he found himself in areas where he was beaten by the angle, and would lose possession travelling to far when a short pass would have done the trick. He and Ben Hutchinson gave keeper Scott Flinders something to think about, but struggled to really test him with weak and easy shots.

On the 15 minute mark the Town defence was shown up again as Denis Behan's cross evaded every red shirt in the box and fell to James Brown. His fierce shot flew just wide of the goal, a huge let off for Town as Callum Kennedy looked evidently out of sorts against the opposition.

10 mins later the home fans were awakened as Jon-Paul McGovern fell victim to a lunge tackle from Richie Jones. Chants of "OFF, OFF" rang out around the County Ground, but the home fans desperate attempt to level the Town's off performance with Jones' dismissal weren't granted as he picked up the first yellow card of the game.

Then we saw a small flicker of fight in the underbelly of Town. Anthony McNamee collected Jon-Paul McGovern's superb lofted pass on the wide right, cut inside onto his preferred left foot and curled and effort just wide of Flinders' goal, Swindon's first real chance of the game.

The Referee was then called upon to reach into his pocket once more, as another rare Town attack was halted by a blatant bodycheck from Gary Liddle, bagging him a yellow card to his name. Kennedy stepped up but his free-kick reflected the rest of his performance as it flew over the bar.

A minute later lightning struck twice for Town, as former Robin Andy Monkhouse secured his second goal in as many seasons against his former employers. A neat Pools break caught Callum Kennedy out once more as Adam Boyd dinked the ball forward for the chasing James Brown. Brown's first time ball across the box was met by the incoming Monkhouse who fired low passed Kevin Amankwaah and David Lucas to double the scoreline.Monkhouse then rubbed salt in the wounds of the downed Swindon fans, and for the second time in as many games I was outraged in the stands, as Monkhouse headed straight for the Don Rogers' Stand, turned his back and gestured towards his name before punching the air. The vocal distaste from the County Ground forced the referee to issue his third yellow card to Monkhouse for unsportsman-like behaviour, an incident Monkhouse later described as "a bit of banter". I would describe banter as playful conversation or teasing amongst mates, and I think perhaps Monkhouse was the only on who saw this as any of the above terms.

The half time whistle drew a close to a poor first half performance much to the relief of the bewildered home fans. Wilson had evidently been watching the same game as us, and replaced Callum Kennedy with Lescinel Jean-Francois, who had had a torrid time dealing with the almost constant attacking prowess Hartlepool had brought to the table.

The 2nd half started as a quiet affair, with little of note happening until Lee Peacock came on for Alex Revell to make his first league start of the campaign following his long spell on the sidelines.

And the two changes appeared to have made a difference as Swindon began to pile on some much needed pressure if anything was to be salvaged from this game. After a spell of health possession, Tope Obadeyi found himself with an excellent opportunity to begin the Town comeback. A teasing cross was sent towards the far post from Jon-Paul McGovern's right boot, but Obadeyi could do little more than head the ball into the goalkeeper's hands, as Swindon's impotency in front of goal continued.

As patience wore thin within the 4 sides of the County Ground, Wilson made one last throw of the dice, bringing on fan favourite Billy Paynter in place of Ben Hutchinson. Looking fresh and up for it Billy Paynter chased everything and once again gave 100%, and I think could be looking at getting back into the starting-11 as we continue to struggle for goals.

The next chance fell to the scouser himself as McGovern's free kick was flicked on by Scott Cuthbert. Paynter had time to control the ball in the area and pick his mark, but instead fired his shot straight into Flinders clutches, who would like to play against our attacking line any day of the week.

With the final whistle drawing closer, the pace of the game dropped with it, and Hartlepool were happy to soak up what little pressure we put on their backline. In front of goal Town continued to struggle, as Billy Paynter had more chances in the short time he was on, than the rest of the Swindon team put together. But still the goals wouldn't come. On 80 minutes the icing was put on the cake, and the County Ground conceded the outcome of the day. The ball fell to Lee Peacock in the area following a Jon-Paul McGovern corner. And with Flinders on the deck, Peacock unleashed a goal-bound shot, only to see it blocked and deflected off the line by Tope Obadeyi. The rest of the game whittled away and a chorus of boos echoed around the County Ground as the referee brought a close to the game. Swindon had looked lethargic and sluggish today, and if we go Saturday's away trip to Norwich with a similar attitude, we will get well and truly tonked. Wilson certainly has some work to do over the next 7 days as we look to get over the loss of Jonathan Douglas in the middle of the park, and to start scoring some goals to improve on our -3 goal difference and continue to challenge for a top-6 place, which so far looked like a possibility.

A Look Ahead: Pools come to Town

Saturday sees the visit of Northerners Hartlepool to the hallowed turf of the County Ground, and both sides will be looking to secure 3 points, with only 6 separating the two teams.

It will be a bitter sweet welcoming from Town manager Danny Wilson, who managed Hartlepool for 133 games, leading the Pools to promotion to where they are now, before leaving to ply his trade at SN1 in December 2008. Wilson has also been hailed as the man that kick started James Brown's career (if you watch Soccer Saturday, you'll have heard of Brown thanks to Jeff Stelling). Wilson handed Brown his first-team debut at the tender age of 19 back in 2006 whilst in charge at Victoria Park, and Brown has held down a regular starting place up front and become a fan favourite since.

Another player with links to both clubs is 28 year old Pools Midfielder Andy Monkhouse. "Monkmanaman", as he is affectionately called by the Pools' faithful, due to his likeness in looks and style of play to Steve Mcmanaman, had a short stint at the County Ground when Dennis Wise made him his first signing in June 2006. Niggling injuries kept his first team appearances to a minimum before Wise agreed a loan deal with Hartlepool United. In January of the same season, and after only 12 appearances in a red shirt, a permanent deal was agreed and "Monkey" made the move North. His next encounter with the red and white dynamite, much to The Robins' distaste, saw him score the winning goal in Hartlepool's 1-0 victory over Swindon in February 2007. Amazingly, in this 2006/2007 season, Monkhouse would go 32 league appearances without being on the losing side, until Hartlepool were defeated in April 2007 by Barnet.

Swindon currently have the upper hand in the rivalry between the two clubs, having recorded 10 victories, with Hartlepool having got 3 points against only half the amount of times.

Last season's encounters between the two sides saw Hartlepool come away with the most points. A year to the month, Victoria Park was the venue that saw a thrilling 6 goal encounter between the two sides, and boasting a hat-trick from each side as Hartlepool pulled off an inspired come-back. Unfortunately, this was one that I could only listen to on the radio, unable to make the long trip north. Simon Cox fired Town into a 3 goal lead in what was the season that saw him finish as joint top Goalscorer in all English Professional leagues, tallying 29 goals along with Ricky Lambert. Joel Porter then completed his hat-trick, and the comeback with 2 late goals in the 82nd and 90th minute to stop the Swindon faithful painting the North red. Porter moved back home to Australia at the end of last season to play for newly formed Gold Coast United , so there is no risk of a repeat performance from the 19 goal striker this season.

The reverse fixture of the season at the County Ground in February of this year, saw Hartlepool take all 3 points in controversial fashion. A last minute penalty, literally the last kick of the game was awarded after Jerel Ifil was adjudged to have fouled in the area. These two encounters were just two of many games in this season where Swindon dropped points in the final minutes. A season where if games were played over 80 minutes Swindon would have been sat in a playoff position rather than fighting for their League 1 lives in April of this year.

Ahead of Saturday's match, Swindon have seen a lot of media attention during this week. Wilson attempted to bury the fracas between Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris during Saturday's enigmatic clash with Millwall at the County Ground that saw two dismissals. Wilson had the following to say to the awaiting media at the County Ground today:

“The line has been drawn as far as I’m concerned and this is the end of it,” he said.

“Both players have had their say and both would like to see the end of it.

“Why and how it came to the press in the first place is beyond me. As far as we’re concerned nobody could win - not Millwall, not us, and neither of the players.

“The only people that win are the media, and when washing starts being hung out in public it’s very difficult.

“But at this moment in time it’s fine. Both players have come to a diplomatic agreement and we’ve drawn a line under it. End of story.

“Things happen in the game and there will always be regrets, but that’s the end of it.

“We’ve let Kevin have his say, the Millwall player has had his say and it’s finished.”

More media attention was aimed at the County Ground after Wilson had his appeal surprisingly turned down with regards to Jonathan Douglas' red card and 3 match ban he received against Millwall. The FA also extended the ban to 4 games, an automatic procedure after an appeal is dismissed.

And Wilson, who so far during his reign at the County Ground has kept his thoughts regarding referee's and FA decisions to himself, cut an extremely annoyed figure as he made his thoughts clear to the awaiting press this morning:

“We didn’t just have a good case - we had a great case, a fantastic case,” he fumed.

“And I’m totally pissed off that we didn’t get anything from it, and I’m even more pissed off that he (Douglas) got an extra game.

“We weren’t just going to put it there for the sake of it and hope - we put our money behind it and it’s just thrown out and given an extra game ban.

“Three people sat there and said it was a definite sending off with no input from the referee “I am absolutely incredulous that the decision could be made by those three people like it was.”

“I’m still livid and absolutely pissed off about it, and we can’t do anything about it unfortunately,” said the boss.

“It was not right. We put forward a fair and proper appeal, and from our point of view we’ve been dealt with with an iron rod, basically telling us not to appeal again because this is what we’ll get.

“I don’t see clubs at the top level being punished like this. The top level sides aren’t dealt with the way we are.

“Maybe they are using the lower league clubs as examples, I don’t know.

“We are encouraged to appeal, so we appeal and then we get punished for appealing.

“You tell me where the fairness is in that.”

A lot of pissing going on here. Unfortunately, the video of the interview has yet to surface on STFC Player. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and if it does surface you'll be able to watch it here at The Robins' Nest. The Swindon Advertiser went with the headline of "Thanks for sweet FA!" for this story, very witty.

Moving slightly away from the media spotlight of the County Ground, but not completely, 15 year old winger Alex Henshall came on for his country in the Under 16 Victory Shield tournament shown live on Sky Sports on Thursday night. The tournament sees England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales put together a team of Under-16's to compete for the shield. England beat Wales 1-0 with Henshall bagging the assist after an inch perfect cross. Henshall is one of the bright starlets to have come through the renowned (believe it or not) Swindon Youth Academy, following in the footsteps of several others including Ben Tozer who was snapped up by Newcastle, Lukas Jutkiewicz who was signed by Everton and is currently on-loan at Motherwell, and Sean Morrison who still laces his boots in the Town first team. Henshall was named MVP (Most Valued Player) this year at the annual Milk Cup tournament of Northern Ireland, a bonanza of youth talent on display at the tournament and where many a Premiership footballer competed in the younger years.

Henshall has been included as sub at Swindon so could be close to breaking into the first team. A bid from Chelsea was turned down by Swindon earlier this year, with Man Utd, Sunderland and Everton also declaring their interest in the talented defender.

Getting back to tomorrow's game, Wilson still has some decisions to make following the 1-1 draw with Millwall. Jonathan Douglas will be absent due to his suspension, giving the likes of Michael Timlin and Craig Easton a chance of holding down a regular starting place. There are no changes to the long-term injury list with Alan O'Brien (hamstring), Kurt Hammonds (knee), Hasney Aljofree (knee), Lloyd Macklin (leg fracture) and Yinka Casal (knee) all still ruled out. Lee Peacock continues to race towards full match fitness and could feature, although this looks doubtful with Tope Obadeyi returning after recovering from Flu and signing an extension to his loan deal until November 14th.

For the blue shirts, Ben Clark, the scorer of the controversial penalty that gave Hartlepool 3 points here last season has just begun full training after a groin injury, but has been ruled out of tomorrow's game by manager Chris Turner, who minus Clark, has a full team to pick from, including Andy Monkhouse, who will be looking for his 2nd goal against his former employees.

Mid-week Update

I've skipped the match report from the Millwall game just passed as Swindon have dominated League 1 news this week for various reasons.

If you follow my blog regularly you will have done well to miss the Amankwaah-Harris Saga that still refuses to disappear. Yesterday Kevin hit back with fresh claims that his words to Neil Harris were said in retaliation to physical and racial abuse; which this morning Neil Harris has categorically denied:
“I am both angry and upset that Kevin Amankwaah, after seemingly offering an apology for his insulting remarks towards me on Saturday which I had accepted, should now decide to try and justify himself.

“I can categorically state that Amankwaah’s insult was not in response to any racial comment and his accusations of verbal and physical abuse are frankly laughable. Passions were inflamed following an incident during the game and there was a bit of pushing and shoving, nothing more.

“It is demeaning to get into a public ‘who said what to whom’ argument. I am comfortable that I have nothing to reproach myself for."

In my opinion Kevin was forced into what Neil says is "justifying himself" by the constant media barrage that the events have Saturday have had. I've been thinking about the whole situation: Amankwaah originally denied Harris' claims after Saturday's game, then the next day, following a media attack on him both Kevin and STFC issued an apology. I think this u-turn happened in order to avoid an FA probe into the situation and to put it to bed once and for all, to allow STFC and Kevin to concentrate on football. Kevin was then accused by the media of being forced by the Swindon dressing-room and board room against his will into apologising to Neil, meaning Kevin had to come out and explain why he apologised, and STFC to come out and say that Kevin was the driving force behind it all. If there was racial and physical abuse that Kevin received, he was going to get on with it so as not to draw the whole saga out, but the media have not let this one go, so Kevin, knowing he's now in this for the long haul, has brought up the abuse that he suffered on the field Saturday.

Danny Wilson had the following to say on the matter:

“We wanted to give Kevin’s side of things because there have been one or two reports in the national newspapers which are completely untrue

“He’s offered an apology but still there’s things being written which are not true, so he has to put across his side of the story. We back him to the hilt.”

As the saga rears its ugly head once more, I can only hope that this ongoing incident doesn't have an adverse effect on Amankwaah's on-field performances - being on of the best players on the pitch this season.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Douglas, who was dismissed early on in Saturday's encounter between Millwall and Swindon, has had his appeal against a 3-match ban turned down and it extended to 4. The referee described that tackle as high, double-footed and that Douglas had no control. Now, if you watch the video footage again you will see that the tackle was low, one-footed and Douglas had control. Just seeing these 3 factors makes me amazed how the FA can not only turn the appeal down but also to extend the suspension! Also, if you do watch the footage you will see that after the tackle, the referee gives a freekick to Millwall, then continues running as if he expects play to resume quickly. He makes no gesture to going towards his pocket, or even to talk to Douglas, until a conglomerate of blue-shirted players surround the incident and push away Douglas as he tried to help the victim of the tackle up. Being at the game, my first reaction was that the sending off was for Douglas' retaliation who pushed an arm in his chest away before being shown the red card.

The whole incident is outrageous and I still cannot believe any of it warranted a 4 match ban. I'm not usually one to openly criticise, but criticism where criticism is due, the handling of this by the referee and FA is a complete shambles.

Wilson said the following:

“It’s one-footed, low and he’s totally in control of the situation.

“We’ve done everything,” he said. “We watched it a million times, slowed it down, watched replays in slow motion, had an independent view on the situation that developed, and we appealed.

“We sent our review and our opinions in to the FA and wouldn’t have appealed if we hadn’t of thought we could win the it. We felt we had a great case.”

Just the reaction from both sets of fans when the red card was shown was enough to know it was the wrong decision.

Elsewhere, some good news for town ahead of Saturday's County Ground clash with Hartlepool. Tope Obadeyi is back in the fray following a hamstring injury and Flu. He's also on the verge of extending his loan from Bolton, who have said they see Tope playing at this level as key to the 19 year old's development and push for the first team.

The reserves were in action last night away at Salisbury and came away 3-0 victors with goals from Lee Peacock, who continues his recovery to full match fitness, Charlie Austin, who seems to be knocking at Wilson's door for his first full team start, and 17 year old Billy Bodin who has just returned from International duty after receiving his first under-21 cap for Wales. Whilst things seem to take a turn for the worse of the pitch and in the media, it seems the lads are doing their bit on the pitch and giving Wilson food for thought in League 1.

Now, without Douglas absent for 4 games, it gives a chance for fringe players Michael Timlin and Craig Easton to impress. Timlin has a couple of appearances to his name, whilst Easton has seen most of his football bossing the reserves at captain, both will be trying to seize upon Douglas' misfortune to hold down a first team place, even after Douglas' return.

We stretched our unbeaten run to 11 league games after the draw with Millwall, but fans will be expecting 3 points come 5 o'clock this Saturday after entertaining Hartlepool at the County Ground.

Update on the Amankwaah Cancer Jibe Story

Following my recent blog post regarding the events of Saturday's clash between Swindon and Millwall at the County Ground, it would appear that "Big Kev" has had enough of the situation. As i mentioned before it would appear it has been blown out of all proportion, and a 2nd Club Statement has been released:

Despite yesterday's statement relating to the Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris verbal exchange during the Millwall FC fixture last Saturday, which contained Kevin Amankwaah's apology for any offence that his remarks may have caused, the issue has not been allowed to rest.

Kevin Amankwaah would like to dispel any suggestion that he was forced into making any statement by his teammates, he made the statement entirely under his own volition and his action enjoys his teammate's full support. Furthermore, Kevin would like to state that it was the racial abuse that he was initially subjected to that provoked him into responding in the way that he did.

"I had hoped that my statement of yesterday would have brought closure to this regrettable situation but now it would appear that I am being held up as the scapegoat. Therefore I feel compelled to make people aware of the racial and physical abuse that I received on the day, which included passing comment on my origins and physical assault - both of which were totally unacceptable," stated Amankwaah.

"My comments may have been misplaced but equally racial and physical abuse has no place in football. I have held my hands up and apologised for what I said, but now I think it would be appropriate if others did the same."

Swindon Town FC is fully committed to Kicking Racism Out of Football and this coming weekend Swindon Town FC will be participating in the Kick Racism Out of Football initiative and over 1,000 school children are anticipated at The County Ground for the Hartlepool United fixture, as part of this initiative.

It would seem that the "mild mannered" hero that The Sun newspaper and various other media outlets built Neil Harris up to be, isn't quite living up to that standard, with the new allegations of racial and physical abuse to Kevin Amankwaah. Just because you've had testicular cancer and have built are the patron of a successful charity apparently doesn't negate a person's true colours.

As expected its now apparent that Saturday's events go much deeper than just the surface that was scratched by the media in order to run a "hero and villain" news piece that has in turn wrongly damaged the reputation of STFC and Kevin Amankwaah.

Morale of this story, don't believe everything you read in the paper's kids.

The Robins and Lions come to a head as tempers flare at the County Ground

You may or may not have read in the back pages about the high-octane game at the Country Ground on Saturday just gone. The match between my beloved Swindon and Millwall broke down as the referee and players lost control. Both teams were reduced to 10-men after two separate incidents and two further players Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris picked up yellow cards as they had to be separated following the foul that saw Andy Frampton receive his marching orders.

Unfortunately, it would appear that the two yellow cards were received in unceremonious circumstances. The Sun are reporting that Kevin Amankwaah taunted Neil Harris over the testicular cancer that he successfully fought off 8-years earlier. And it has confirmed that today that Kevin Amankwaah and STFC have apologised to Harris over "remarks" made during Saturday's game.

Don't get me wrong, if indeed Amankwaah did taunt Harris over his cancer, I certainly do not condone this, neither on the football pitch or anywhere in the world. I do, however, believe this has been thrown out of all proportion. The whole game on Saturday was played at full pace and a host of 100% tackles and some poor refereeing meant that every Swindon fan was as vocal as we have ever been this season, and looking back I bet there were things that we all said due to the conditions and atmosphere. The Sun has picked Harris as the victim here, describing him as "mild mannered" and also claim to have interviewed a Millwall player who "asked not to be named". They fail to mention that if such a thing was said by Kevin Amankwaah, it would have been completely out of character, as I would like to bet that Kev is even more mild-mannered than Harris, who in comparison during the game on Saturday, looked angry and fiery even before the incident of note.

So, in Kevin's defence I'd like to ask anyone who read this Sun article to take it with a pinch of salt. No doubt words were exchanged in Saturday's encounter but it would be extremely unlike Kev to have said what he did, and I don't think that Amankwaah and Harris are the ONLY guilty parties here.

A full match report of Saturday's action will be available shortly.

Here we go again!

I wouldn’t blame you if you were to get confused over this blog entry and think I’m repeating myself, as Tuesday night saw the Swindon faithful, all 189 of us, travel back to St. James Park, Exeter for an identical fixture in a matter of 7 days.

This time a place in the the Johnstones Paint Trophy Area Quarter Finals is up for grabs, and this time, there would HAVE to be a winner, with the tie going straight to penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes.

I made the trip West the night before the big-game this week to spend some time with my Danes’ Road Uni mates. The plan was to take it easy Monday night, and then get on the session Tuesday night. Somehow this turned into getting on the session Monday night and feeling sorry for ourselves Tuesday night, but it was well worth it. Check out Facebook to see why.

I think for the first time this season we made our way to the ground with literally minutes to spare as sober as a judge. 189 Swindon fans had made the midweek journey, hats off to all that did. A quick check on me mobily for the team sheets chucked up a bit of a surprise. Wilson had tinkered with his side a little for the JPT fixture, whilst adhering to 2006’s rule that states you must play at least 6 players with the most appearances in their respective positions. Phil Smith got his 2nd appearance of the season as first choice David Lucas dropped to the bench. Jean-Francois Lescinel regained his left back berth over youngster Callum Kennedy who has occupied it for the last two games, and Michael Timlin steps into the centre of midfield to replace Simon Ferry. The bench was also looking a bit different, including new signing Charlie Austin, and 15 year old starlet, Alex Henshall, who would be Swindon’s youngest ever first team player if he came on, taking the record from winger Lloyd Macklin who is currently on the treatment table with a leg fracture.

It took 10 minutes for the first real chance of the game, thanks to the creativity of our once very own Barry Corr. He capitalised on Jonathan Douglas’ poor clearance by heading down for Richard Logan on the edge of the area. Logan, who rescued a point a week earlier, had been handed a start tonight by manager Tisdale. Unfortunately for Exeter, he was unable to replicate his form and sent his half volley narrowly over the bar.

Saturday saw two Swindon strikers open their accounts for the season against Brentford. Hutchinson scored one whilst Revell bagged himself two in the 3-2 victory at Griffin Park. Ben Hutchinson went close to doubling his tally on 16 minutes with Swindon showing signs of their attacking prowess. The Celtic loanee met Jean-Francois Lescinel’s cross on the volley. He got the technique all right but was unable to direct it past 2nd choice keeper Andy Marriott.

However, a minute later, Marriott was beaten in extraordinary fashion by tricky winger Anthony McNamee. Whether he meant it or not only he will know, but I’m sure he will claim he was going for goal. Macca hit a cross-cum-shot from the left wing after taking on one defender, stood back and watched his spectacular effort sail into the far corner as Marriott was caught off-guard.

Exeter fought back almost immediately after falling behind as they had a week previously. Barry Corr directed his header well wide of Smith’s goal after connecting with a nice delivery from Adam Stansfield. And shortly after Smith was tested from Richard Logan who would be trying to prove Tisdale made the right decision to start him. He forced a save from ex-Millwall keeper Phil Smith with a half-volley but Smith was equal to his shot and kept the scores level.

But it was Swindon again who came closest to adding to the score line. Jon-Paul McGovern already has two to his name this time round but he should have had three as McNamee’s crossing terrorised the Exeter defence. McGovern slid in at the far post to meet Macca’s dangerous ball in but Marriott made a great save to deflect the ball clear.

The tie had turned into a back and forth game of football, much to the delight of the 2,006 supporters in St. James Park. On 37 minutes, and out-of-character mistake from captain Gordon Greer gave Adam Stansfield a clear run on goal. His shot heading for the far bottom corner was turned around the post by Phil Smith, who looked like he had something to prove to manager Danny Wilson, and was on fine form!

And as half-time loomed, Exeter had another superb chance to go in level at the break, but Smith’s inspired performance continued to keeper the Grecians at bay. James Dunne spotted Smith, who is serving his 4th season with the Robins, off his line. Dunne attempted a spectacular 25-yard lob, but Smith saw what was coming and backtracked to tip the ball that was heading for the far corner over the bar superbly.

A very equal and enjoyable first half came to a close with Town just edging their noses in front with that bizarre Anthony McNamee goal.

Paul Tisdale made a change at the break, replacing Barry Corr, much to the jeers of the travelling support as it would mean Corr was unable to make an account against his former employees in two meetings so far, and would have to wait until April for his next chance. Scott Golbourne replaced the tall striker. Wilson kept his team unchanged as Town looked to press on and build on the 1-0 lead McNamee had secured in the first 45 minutes.

Swindon started the 2nd half brightly, looking to bury the game, something we’ve struggled to do this term. Alex Revell was on the prowl for his 3rd in a Swindon shirt and possibly an extension on his loan deal that will keep him in a red shirt until January. He managed to wriggle free of some tight Devonshire marking before firing in a low shot forcing a one-handed stretched save out of 38 year old Andy Marriott. Having played second fiddle to his younger counterpart 18 year old Oscar Jansson, Marriott was making a good account for himself today. Anthony McNamee then nearly chalked his 2nd on the board but he could only send his shot wide of the goal.

As Exeter struggled to create any positive chances so far in the 2nd half, Tisdale tinkered a bit more, bringing on fan favourite Stuart Fleetwood for James Dunne who had gone close with his lob in the first half.

And as the game fizzled out to a midfield battle riddled with mistakes, Lee Peacock made his way off the bench for his first taste of first team action since going under the knife on a long-standing back injury in March this year. He received a warm welcome from the travelling faithful.

Exeter then had a what at first look seemed a strong penalty appeal turned down by the referee. In the 75th minute, substitute Stuart Fleetwood had cut inside on the right wing, passing Gordon Greer and looked to have been brought down by Scott Cuthbert in the area. The referee waved away any Grecian protests and after having a 2nd look, it appears that Fleetwood was looking for the spot-kick and may have fell a bit too easily, no doubt a controversial subject among rival fans.

Tisdale played his last throw of the dice in an attempt to force penalties, as he replaced Steve Tully with Neil Saunders shortly after the penalty appeal.

Peacock had an excellent opportunity to mark his return to action with what would surely be the winning goal. He capitalised on some slack defending and found himself one on one with Marriott. The striker who’s been with The Robins since 2006 was let down by his touch, perhaps a bit rusty after his spell on the sidelines and Marriott was able to recover and parry Peacock’s shot wide for a corner. The 32 year old still managed a smile for the 189 fans applauding him for his effort and return to the game.

New signing Charlie Austin then received a warm welcome to his playing career at Swindon as he entered the fray in place of Ben Hutchinson. Chances were few and far between for Swindon and Austin had little time to make an impact on the game, though chased hard in an attempt to make chances for himself.

And as the 4th official indicated 3 minutes of injury, it was then that Swindon slipped into their old ways. Richard Logan managed a flick on for substitute Stuart Fleetwood, who’s superb deft touch put a perfectly weighted ball over the head of Phil Smith and into the back of the net. With the last kick of the game, Swindon had once again relinquished a 1-0 win, and would have to partake in the footballing lottery that is penalties.

I must admit, my confidence for the upcoming penalty shootout was low. Having conceded so late in the game yet again, I thought heads would drop. And we’ve a pretty poor record when it comes to penalty shootouts, already dropping out of the Carling Cup earlier this season to Wolves after making a decent account of ourselves in 120 minutes.

However, my gut instincts were gladly proven wrong, as Town’s players put in a confident and experienced looking display in the shootout. Exeter took the first penalty, with Richard Logan stepping up to convert. And convert he did sending Phil Smith the wrong way. Jon-Paul McGovern then tucked his corner passed Marriott who had guessed the right corner. Daniel Seabourne then saw his penalty go under Smith who had got close to it. Michael Timlin then sent Marriott the wrong way as he made it 2-2 in the shootout. Matthew Taylor then took a long run up and saw his penalty hit the back of the net, even though Smith appeared to be getting closer and closer to each penalty, it looked like he got a touch on this one before it went in. Captain Gordon Greer, who had missed his penalty against Wolves converted a calm penalty to keep Swindon’s Wembley dream alive. Then the heroics hit. Phil Smith made a great save to deny Neil Saunders’ penalty and with the advantage now swinging the Wiltshire team’s way, Kevin Amankwaah sent Marriott the wrong way to pile all the pressure onto Exeter’s next penalty taker, Stuart Fleetwood. It was a bitter sweet penalty save from Phil Smith that sent Swindon through to the Area Quarter Finals, as the man who’s injury time lob gave Exeter a lifeline, failed to convert his penalty, and justice from the travelling fans point of view, had been served.

Saturday we welcome Millwall to the County Ground, and Wilson I’m sure will be trying to heal this mental issue we seem to have with conceding late goals. Yet again we’ve given up a lead, but you cannot fault Swindon’s coolness to convert their penalties, and Phil Smith’s heroics throughout the 90 minutes and shootout. Onwards and upwards, the Wembley dream is truly alive and well, and I’ll be setting my alarm for the Johnstones Paint Trophy draw live on Soccer:AM Saturday morning.

What a chunderful game of football lads!

Brentford was the destination on Saturday, as Swindon Town took on another team who have recently gained promotion to League 1, the 3rd in 4 games against teams with that same feat. For many Town fans, the Brentford tie was one of the main picks of the away games this season because of the many avenues of travel you can take to get there, and the ease at which you can do this. For any travelling supporter, I would strongly recommend making this journey.

A few weeks earlier the opportunity arose for a few of us to get the train to Brentford, to carry out the prestigious "all day lash-up" that any Saturday football match where no driving is involved seems to bring on. Upon finding out I could get a lift with the ol' chap who would be driving, I decided it would be worthwhile doing this because of the outrageous train fairs, even though from past experience the train travel away days are a real good crack. And I am so glad I chose to get a lift...

For it was the night before the big game, and all was calm. Except for a few of us who had decided to go on a pub crawl in Hungerford as a "goodbye" to two of our chums who are heading off to Uni. I went out saying to myself that I'd only have a few as it was footy the next day, and somehow that just didn't happen. I remember feeling good at some point during the night, how early/late in the evening that was is a blur. And then I remember not feeling so goodand struggling to string meaningful sentences together. And then I remember waking up on Saturday morning with what was perhaps THE worst hangover I've ever had, if not extremely close to it.

I must apologise to and thank Dad and Will, who put up with me vomiting, moaning and complaining throughout Saturday. I think the whole day was helped by the extremely good game of football we watched and the result that followed - otherwise I could have left Brentford with a couple of black eyes.

Anyway, onto the football. Swindon went into the game Saturday on the back of four 1-1 draws and a 9-game unbeaten run in League 1. Danny Wilson had put the emphasis on getting all 3 points here, as the atmosphere amongst the Town faithful appeared to have been increasingly concerned with our inability to defend a lead, conceding late goals and dropping 2 points in games where we should be getting all three. The expectation amongst fans at the County Ground has understandably grown from that at the start of the season as we are seeing a team that has gelled quickly and giving us some top class performances and i think this has contributed to us expecting the right result and not just a good performance.

Pre-match news reports soon got round that Wilson had tinkered with his starting line-up. In particular, the exclusion of Billy Paynter, who has missed some gilt-edged chances in the last two games that could have been the difference between 1 and 3 points, and see us sat pretty in 4th place. He was replaced by Alex Revell, who as yet hadn't scored for Swindon since joining on-loan from fellow League 1 side Southend. The other change had been forced upon Wilson as Temitope Obadeyi, who's form had just appeared to be coming into fruition for The Robins, limped off in the first half at Exeter with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Celtic striker Ben Hutchinson.

Another ray of light came from the treatment table, as long-term injury victim Lee Peacock was included amongst the seven substitutes, a sign that his back injury which required an operation that has kept him out of action for seven months could be healing nicely.

After finally getting parked in "The Beehive" car park the others had a few drinks in the fine establishment. I struggled to get down 3 quarters of a bottle of Budweiser, in the hope that "Hair of the dog" might help me. After a few toilet false alarms later we made our way to Griffin Park, renowned as being the only ground in Britain with a pub on each corner. Our stand was two-tiered, a terrace lower and seated upper. We saved a pound each and made our way to the terraces, where the view was slightly restricted by supporting pillars, but the atmosphere was electric thanks to the 1,244 fans that had made the trip.

The first real chance of the game happened early on in the 8th minute and sent the travelling support into a frenzy. Though difficult to see as it was at the opposite goal that the action happened, seeing the net ripple was enough. The move saw Amankwaah, McGovern and Revell combining well on the right-side and running Brentford's defenders ragged. Eventually, McGovern's cross into the ball was met by Revell who unleashed a powerful volley over the keeper's head and into the underside roof of the net. Revell wheeled away in celebration as he finally got his first goal in a Swindon shirt, much to the delight of Wilson and the travelling support.

Brentford then hit back with an attack and penalty appeal as defender Ryan Dickson was grounded. This time the action was at our end and it didn't look like a penalty to either myself or the official as the claim was waved away.

Swindon then had another attack as Kevin Amankwaah picked up a sloppy pass in our own half. His pass found Jonathan Douglas, who teamed up with Alex Revell. As Revell flicked the ball on it looked as if it would fall for the offside Ben Hutchinson and an over-zealous linesman raised his flag because of this. However, with his hands above his head, Hutchinson was deemed to not be interfering with play as he was returning from an offside position, and Douglas raised onto the ball as the referee over-ruled the flag. Douglas, seeing the raised flag stuttered then continued realising the ref had waved play on but saw his shot parried by keeper Nikki Bull and cleared by the defence. That was a great chance to double Swindon's lead.

The away sides persistence paid dividends as they proceeded to extend their lead on 21 minutes. A touch of McNamee magic allowed him to take on a couple of players and execute a superb through-ball for striker Ben Hutchinson, who finished the move with a cool and composed finish into the back of the net.

Hutchinson proceeded to run the length of the pitch to celebrate with the away fans who's celebrations were nearly rocking the Brook Road Stand.

Brentford looked shell-shocked by Swindon's attacking presence in this new territory and struggled to create any decent chances in the first half, even though Swindon sat back and looked happy to protect their two goal lead prior to the half time whistle.

And when the referee did call time on the first 45 minutes, the boys in white left the field to a huge ovation from the packed away stand as Swindon had dominated the first 45, and looked to have quelled any defensive worries that the supporters might have had carried over from recent weeks.

I'm not sure what manager Andy Scott told his players at halftime, but it certainly fired them up as Brentford started the 2nd half looking like a different side. The Bees managed to knock together some half decent chances, and 6 minutes in they should have given themselves a lifeline. As midfield Sam Saunders terrorized the Swindon defence around 25 yards out, he pulled off an amazing curled effort, beating David Lucas but shaking the goal as the pull struck the upright. The rebound fell beautifully for the completely unmarked striker Charlie McDonald, who somehow managed to put the ball into the home support behind when in the way was an open-goal 8 yards out. A truly embarrassing miss for the 28 year old, and lucky escape for The Robins.

Apart from this scare the Swindon defence looked strong as they survived the early onslaught in the 2nd half from Brentford. In comparison, Brentford's defence hadn't looked so calm and in the 63rd minute Wilson looked to shake things up by bringing on the pacey youngster Lloyd Macklin in place of Hutchinson, who had been quiet apart from his goal.

However, Brentford continued to press and as players helped back with defensive duties we became shut in and struggled to keep hold of possession. In the 78th minute Brentford seized the lifeline they had been striving for as veteran striker Carl Cort scored a well worked goal after side-stepping two defenders and finishing well from the edge of Lucas' box.

Town showed they weren't going to relinquish the 3 points as easy as they had done recently and struck back immediately. Jon-Paul McGovern played a super ball from his own half ahead of now lone-striker Alex Revell, who found himself up against a weak defence as Brentford pushed for an equaliser. As he surged into the right side of the area, he sidestepped one defender before firing a ferocious shot Nikki Bull and into the top right corner of the net. A real screamer as Revell stamped his authority on the match and kept quiet any doubters of his ability to score goals since joining The Robins.

Shortly after the goal, Micheal Timlin came on to replace Anthony McNamee, to sure up the defence as the end of the match approached. But that didn't seem to happen as more drama unfolded and the outcome of the match was again put on the line.

An 82nd minute corner was put in by an un-marked Charlie McDonald, who this time didn't miss from 8 yards. Suddenly The Robins' celebrations had been cut short, and I'm sure everyone struggled to keep out the back of their minds what has happened late on in so many games.

But this time it was meant to be for Swindon Town, has they defended miraculously and took home all 3 points after a thrilling 90 minutes of football. The first half performance was one to remember from Town, as we dominated and took our chances as they came, leaving nothing up to chance. Revell looked like a different player at Griffin Park and could be on the way to scoring more goals in a Swindon shirt now that he's off the mark.

In all honesty, Brentford did what you would expect them to do in the 2nd half and that was to pile players forward. On another day it could have been a completely different story and we may have more found chances where Brentford's defence was caught short on a counter attack like Revell's 2nd, and it could have been an extra two for us rather than to the home side. But just getting 3 points has delighted the Town faithful, and we head to Exeter on Tuesday night in good steed to match the positivity that Exeter will have following their 3-1 win over Hartlepool.

Another game, another draw...

Half day at work, pie, chips and beans for lunch and a few tinnies for the journey down to Exeter - I knew this was going to be a great day regardless of the result. But a bucketful of missed chances and a late equaliser put the mockers on an otherwise fun day.

If you read my last blog post you will know that I was quite looking forward to this one. With friends going to Exeter Uni and one of them claiming to support The Grecians, it was a great opportunity to get a few of us to the game and have a good crack. We set off at around 2:30pm, avoiding the M5 after a reliable source of mine informed me of the dreaded "average speed checks" thanks to some roadworks. The A303 was our route of choice and with just one toilet break (precautionary measures after the nightmare of the Wolves trip) and a few tins later we came to a halt at Danes' Road, Exeter.

"Can we get some lamboonas over here please barman?" We had the customary drink and a bit of pre-match banter in JD Wetherspoons' latest devonshire venture, The Chevalier Inn (following the success of THE biggest Wetherspoons' I've ever seen, The Imperial), and The Duke of York, where we met a handful of fellow Swindonians who had made the journey today. And finally onto St. James' Park. Rather unimpressive looking, but certainly not the worst ground I've ever been to.

In my preview, I questioned what Wilson's strategy would be coming into this game. Though we are on a run of 8 games unbeaten, we have drawn the last three 1-1, when we could easily have come away with more points. Wilson didn't disappoint, making two changes to the side that conceded late on against League 1 newboys Wycombe. Youngster Callum Kennedy stepped up to replace Jean-Francois Lescinel, whose performances seem to have dropped compared to those at the start of the season. Kennedy made a handful of appearances at first team level last season and looks to be a hot prospect after becoming a reserve team regular only at the tender age of 19. Striker Alex Revell, who is on-loan from financial strugglers Southend, dropped his place to tricky winger Anthony McNamee, who has struggled to find first team starts this season. Revell took a bit of stick from home fans against Wycombe as he, like most others, failed to convert chance after chance on Saturday afternoon.

A familiar face started on his own up front for Exeter, in the form of 6ft3in striker Barry Corr. Corr was released by Danny Wilson in the summer after an injury stricken spell at the County Ground, and swiftly took up the offer of a contract from Paul Tisdale.

The away side took the initiative and started the brighter of the two teams, much to the delight of myself and my fellow travellers, situated in a small terrace behind fan favourite David Lucas in between the sticks. Jonathan Douglas capitalised on some sloppy defending and won a free kick some 25 yards out. Jon-Paul McGovern stepped up, curled the dead ball around the wall and forced a smart save from 'keeper Oscar Jansson, who is on-loan from Premiership outfit Tottenham Hotspur.

At the other end, Craig Noone tried his luck from an almost identical position to McGovern, after Scott Cuthbert was deemed to have fouled Barry Corr. Noone saw his drive slip just the wrong side of the post.

Following an action-packed opening, the match then turned dull as both teams' performances were riddled with mistakes. The mundane interlude was brightened up as the Town faithful attempted to get "Nobby", the resident Swindon away drunk, to get into the action with chants of "Nobby, give us a song!". The next real opportunity didn't come until around the half hour mark. As goalkeeper Jansson foiled a Swindon attack at one end, his huge clearance bounced over the head of Barry Corr and into the path of the already dangerous looking Craig Noone at the other. Noone, who is on-loan from fierce rivals Plymouth, raced on with the ball, avoiding a challenge from makeshift defender Jonathan Douglas as the rear-guard were caught upfield in the counter-attack. The winger unleashed his shot but was foiled by on-form Lucas who got down well to make a fine parry away, and then pounced on the ball. Exeter fans will feel they should have taken the lead here at a moment which really could have changed the momentum of the rest of the game.

Town hit back at the Grecians almost instantly and were also guilty of not taking a golden opportunity. Kennedy saw his inch-perfect cross flicked on by Tope Obadeyi at the near post who was proving to be a handful for the Exeter backline. Paynter met the flick on the edge of the 6-yard box but could do no more than put his poke wide of the post, failing to trouble Jansson.

The game took a turn for the worst for striker-cum-winger Tope Obadeyi as he pulled up after a hamstring twinge. Wilson made the decision to bring Obadeyi off immediately, so as not to aggravate any potential injury. Obadeyi had looked dangerous for most of the first half and looked frustrated as he hobbled off to be replaced by Ben Hutchinson, who is on loan from SPL boys Celtic.

Despite this set-back, Swindon continued to push for the deadlock breaking goal, and yet another golden opportunity was wasted by Town's attacking force. Anthony McNamee found room on the left wing for a cross after linking well with Hutchinson. Town's other Celtic-loanee Simon Ferry met the cross on the edge of the 6-yard box, headed into the ground but saw his effort bounce over the keeper and onto the bar before being scrambled away by the Exeter defence. Yet another "How did he miss that??!" moment for The Robins.

The half-time whistle sent both sides in for a break from the goalless affair, when either team could have so easily been in the lead if they had taken their chances. Exeter started the 2nd half all guns blazing, forcing 3 consecutive corners from Town. Though it was a backs to the wall job, Swindon looked strong and decisive in defence, weathered the storm and kept the scoreline level. And in a change of momentum, Town managed to force consecutive corners at the other end and clinical finishing proved the difference between the two spells.

Jon-Paul McGovern's corner was met perfectly by Kevin Amankwaah, who has been getting his name into my blog repeatedly this season. Big Kev rose highest at the far post to head home his 2nd goal in as many games for Swindon and send the away supporters behind the goal into exaltation.

And it should have been a two goal lead for the visitors, if it wasn't for that pesky Jansson! The 18 year old Swede pulled of a stunning save to deny Jonathan Douglas. Callum Kennedy's superb cross found the incoming run of Douglas who met the ball with a sweet side-footed volley. Whether Jansson knew much about it or not, he deflected the ball clear with what looked like a fantastic reflex save from where I was standing.

Swindon looked in control of the match as the chances continued to flow in the 2nd half. McGovern at the heart of yet another Swindon attack played an offside-trap beating ball for Ben Hutchinson. Unfortunately his touch was too heavy allowing Jansson to make a grounded deflection, and Hutchinson was penalised for the collission

Tisdale made two changes on the 65th minute in an attempt to inject some energy into his side who were now struggling to keep possession. Barry Corr and Marcus Stewart made way for Adam Stansfield and Stuart Fleetwood to a home ovation. Shortly after, Town won their 8th corner of the match. McGovern's cross was aimed for the onrushing Simon Ferry, who, meeting the ball at speed, struggled to keep his side-footed effort down as it flew towards us behind the goal.

Exeter's chances were now few and far between, and a Swindon goal would surely kill the match. Richard Duffy did have a good chance as Swindon scrambled to try and clear a rare Exeter attack. He pulled his shot wide of the post, failing to test David Lucas.

Billy Paynter, who'd had an unusally quiet game, was then replaced by Alex Revell and Michael Timlin came on for Anthony McNamee as Town looked to shut up shop and head back East with all 3 points.

And Timlin had a chance to make it certain shortly after his introduction to the game as he stood over a dead-ball on the edge of the box. His low free kick sent Jansson sprawling to the opposite side of his goal to make yet another fine save, and deny Swindon an easy end to a hard fought game.

Jansson's class and persistence to repeatedly give Exeter a lifeline finally paid off, much to the cussing and dislike of the travelling few. In the 87th minute. Danny Seaborne's cross found well-travelled substitute Richard Logan who flicked his header into the back of the net. Joy and elation from the home fans but frustration from the visitor's point of view after a solid 80 or so minutes was wasted to such a weak goal, and yet another 1-1 draw.

The travelling 609 Town fans will have left St. James Park disgruntled and unhappy, there is no doubt about that. 2 points have been stolen again after yet another decent performance marred by missed opportunities and a late goal. But keep the faith - if you'd have told me at the start of the season that we would go on a run of 9 games unbeaten, I'd have slapped you in the face for taking the piss. We've got Brentford on Saturday, an opportunity for what should be a healthy away attendance to see the lads put things right and put smiles back on the face of the Swindon faithful, and keep the boo boys quiet. YOU REDS!