THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

THE CAZBAR BIG GAME PREVIEW – SWINDON TOWN
Well, I hope you aren’t looking to me to make sense of some of these results, I’m probably as clueless as you.

Tuesday night was just bloody awful, I’m just glad I never made the trip, and you can only feel sorry for those that did, at least I could switch off the TV, but I would have been very tempted to get out and get a head start home if I’d gone…don’t hate me.

Don’t worry I’m not going to go over the goals, I couldn’t make you go through that again, but what I would like to revisit is the comments of Williamson after the game, and before I do, I just want to assure you I’m a big fan.

But I am confused that he said he was proud of the lads for continuing to do the right things, and I’d probably question was it the right thing as it obviously wasn’t working. And what’s this about this invisible wall, to me it looked like a well organised midfield and defence in Bradford shirts, and he also mentioned being unlucky, I didn’t get that either.

Being critical, I would say his team selection was a bit radical and too many changes, Kemp is obviously not working in the assigned role, and I would have started Dennis until he ran out of steam, to me he is trying to shoe horn players in instead of playing them in their natural positions. I feel for him having so many key players out, but that is the nature of the beast, a good team finds a way to get through such adversity, at the moment it feels a bit hit and miss. I’m not panicking yet, and there wasn’t much damage done as teams around us equally had a bad night, I just hope we don’t get too many more games like that on the run in.

Next up it’s the short trip down to Wiltshire to face Swindon Town in what is usually a keenly contested fixture and for some reason I always think there is a feeling that neither club really likes the other. The game doesn’t really need an edge but the return of Dan Kemp to the County Ground is sure to ruffle a few feathers on and off the pitch, but more on that later when we look at the Robins scorers this season.

Below is the record of both clubs, plus the home record of the Robins, and the away form of the Dons.

Robins (17th) – P 32, W 10, D 9, L 13, GF 56, GA 59, Pts 39.
Dons (6th) – P 31, W 15, D 6, L 10, GF 49, GA 42, Pts 51.
Robins (H) (8th) – P 15, W 8, D 3, L 4, GF 30, GA 20, Pts 27.
Dons (A) (12th) – P 14, W 5, D 3, L 6, GF 21, GA 22, Pts 18.

Looking closer at the home record of Swindon, below are the results this season, with the most recent game shown first.

Swindon 1 Salford 1
Swindon 2 Bradford 0
Swindon 2 Colchester 2
Swindon 2 Forest Green 1
Swindon 0 Wrexham 1
Swindon 0 Barrow 3
Swindon 2 Mansfield 1
Swindon 2 Stockport 4
Swindon 0 Gillingham 1
Swindon 2 Newport Co 0
Swindon 2 Grimsby 1
Swindon 2 Walsall 0
Swindon 5 Sutton 3
Swindon 6 Crawley 0
Swindon 2 Crewe 2

I think it’s fair to say that so far it’s been a season of two halves for Swindon. At the end of September, they were in the Top 3 with a game in hand to go top, scoring for fun, and with a +12 GD, but slowly the form has dropped off, and that has not been helped by losing loanees Dan Kemp back to us after scoring 16 goals with 8 assists, and Jake Young back to his parent club Bradford City, remember him on Tuesday.

For Swindon he scored 16 goals with 4 assists. Another big miss and a strange one to me is why did they also sell their main supply chain in Remeao Hutton to Gillingham who had 9 assists to his name, and I can understand if you were a Robins fan you would not be very happy about how January went.

It though has not all been bad news for the Robins with some good wins recently against Bradford and most notably Mansfield Town and they have also been very active in the January Window signing by my reckoning 9 players including Dawson Devoy on loan from us, but I’m fairly sure he will not be able to play in this fixture.

The onus to score the goals has to some degree fallen on Charlie Austin’s shoulders and he has a decent pedigree scoring 292 goals in his 655 game career. He has 10 goals this season so far, and on his day he will destroy you, he maybe nearly 35 but he still has goals in him.

In our last game with Swindon Michael Flynn was in charge and 8 months into his contract. 6 weeks before the axe fell Flynn signed a contract extension that would have taken him through to seasons end in 2026, but with the fans growing restless with the results and the ownership, owner Clem Morfuni acted and sent Flynn packing and decided to recruit from within.

Step up then Gavin Gunning formerly the clubs Development- Phase Loans Manager….no idea……..answers on a postcard. His CV started in the Republic of Ireland in 2004 and he became something of a journeyman defender playing for 17 clubs in the UK in his career of 368 games with 18 goals.

This is his 3rd crack at the Interim manager as Swindon churn through their 6th manager in 2 years. His record over the 4 games he has overseen is fairly even at 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 defeat.

Historically we have the edge in this fixture, full details of when below with Dons scorers.

2004/05 – Swindon 2 Dons 1 (Smart)
2004/05 – Dons 1 Swindon 1 (Small)
2005/06 – Dons 3 Swindon 1 (Kamara, Edds, McLeod)
2005/06 – Swindon 0 Dons 1 (Platt)
2006/07 – Swindon 2 Dons 1 (McGovern)
2006/07 – Dons 0 Swindon 1
2008/09 – Dons 1 Swindon 2 (Stirling)
2008/09 – Swindon 1 Dons 1 (Wilbraham)
2009/10 – Dons 1 Swindon 4 (LC) (Easter)
2009/10 – Swindon 0 Dons 0
2009/10 – Dons 2 Swindon 1 (Wilbraham, Tunnicliffe)
2010/11 – Dons 2 Swindon 1 (S Baldock 2)
2010/11 – Swindon 0 Dons 1 (O’Hanlon)
2012/13 – Swindon 1 Dons 0
2012/13 – Dons 2 Swindon 0 (Doumbe, Lowe)
2013/14 – Dons 1 Swindon 1 (Bamford)
2013/14 – Swindon 1 Dons 2 (Kay, G Baldock)
2014/15 – Dons 2 Swindon 1 (Kay, Alli)
2014/15 – Swindon 0 Dons 3 (Powell, Grigg 2)
2016/17 – Dons 3 Swindon 2 (Agard 2, Maynard)
2016/17 – Swindon 1 Dons 1 (Agard)
2018/19 – Swindon 1 Dons 1 (Walsh)
2018/19 – Dons 2 Swindon 3 (Hesketh, Agard)
2020/21 – Swindon 1 Dons 4 (Jerome 2, Harvie, Poole)
2020/21 – Dons 5 Swindon 0 (Grigg 4, Fraser)
2023/24 – Dons 3 Swindon 2 (Dean, O’Hora, OG)

That totals up at P 26, W 13, D 6, L 7, GF 44, GA 30.

That last game back on October 28th was looking fairly comfortable once Dean, O’Hora and a George McEachran own goal had put us 3-1 in front, until a late goal from Swindon gave us a couple of nervy minutes to survive.

Ref Ross Joyce booked 7 players that day, 3 of which were Dons players, Harvie, Eisa and Williams.

The betting for this game has us as favourites but I can’t see much value in the price and it’s also significant that the Swindon price is shortening every day.

Swindon 21/10, Draw 11/4, MK Dons 5/4.

I’m sticking with not making a prediction as it’s worked fairly well lately. Obviously I will be hoping for the 3 points.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that the Swindon owner still feels they can reach the playoffs.

See you at Swindon.

WD

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight

Quite a big game for us today.

Away form has been poor since new year. Defence creaking a bit, keeper issues and striker issues. Swindon aren’t great defensively and not as potent as they were due to the loan players returning. These are the away games we need to win. Lose today , and a tough game to come in Wrexham and we will be looking over the proverbial shoulder to those teams just outside play offs.

COYD!

I totally agree with your comments on the post match interview. There's a fine line between being bullish and talking Bullshit. There were connotations of the Emperor's new clothes in the responses.

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Disclaimer: All my comments are my opinions unless stated otherwise. I'm just a fan following my club.