It was a disappointing season for Swindon Town on the pitch, but with the benefit of some distance, how well did each player perform?
I will be assigning a grade for each player who made more than five league appearances last season as a kind of final player ratings for the campaign.
Murphy Mahoney – B
There were doubts when Mahoney arrived last summer due to his lack of experience, but he soon put those doubts to bed. He made countless fine saves early in the season and impressed with the ball at his feet. His performances dipped a little bit as the season turned for the worse, but it was a strong first EFL loan.
Jack Bycroft – B
Another young stopper who came in without much EFL experience who showed himself capable. Bycroft is not as strong with the ball at his feet as Mahoney, but generally has more command of his area and was an equally good shot-stopper. He is someone I am excited to see back next year.
Remeao Hutton – B
He was not quite in so hot form at the start of this season that he was at the end of last, but he was still a chance creation machine who was good for an assist. His defensive frailties were still on show but he was a consistent performer in a struggling side.
Frazer Blake-Tracy – B
This was not as strong as his first Swindon season, but he was still one of the best performers across the campaign. He was the more steady force at the back who also had the capability of driving forward and creating attacks.
George McEachran – C
McEachran was consistent in his performances across the season, rarely playing poorly, but not having too many standout games. The midfield make-up was a problem throughout, but towards the end when there was more substance he showed more of his technical skill.
Jake Young – A
The biggest surprise of the season. Young was the least heralded arrival last summer but proved the rule that Bradford City strikers always perform for Town. He was lethal for the first few months before the team’s form and injury slowed him down a bit at the end.
Zac Elbouzedi – D
The least exciting of the January signings didn’t prove many people wrong. He had a few good displays, like pocketing Jody Jones, but overall he struggled to make an impact, partially because he was frequently used out of position.
Saidiou Khan – C
Where McEachran was steady, Khan was very up and down. He would have stretches of looking like everything you want and periods when he went missing. Khan had to deal with injuries throughout and that hampered him, hopefully in a better structure he will be able to reach his level more often.
Paul Glatzel – A
The Young replacement who somehow lived up to the billing. He has almost every tool in his toolkit: speed, control, vision, and finishing. Glatzel was by some distance the best player down the stretch and is the face of the franchise moving forward.
Dan Kemp – A+
I can spoil the rest of this by saying nobody else will be getting an A+. He was a deserved player of the season despite only playing half of the games, winning games at will and dazzling as he did so. Kemp is such a fun player to watch and ultimately the reason Swindon are still a League Two club.
Harry McKirdy – D
To fail him felt unfair as that would imply unrealistic expectations. It was a lovely moment when he came back and we got the big goal at Gillingham to fuel the nostalgia machine. But ultimately it was too soon for him to feature regularly, so he was never going to find a rhythm.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – C
He feels like the big ‘what if’ of the season. He was red hot in pre-season and at Peterborough, but an injury got in the way of the first few weeks. As an impact player, Hepburn-Murphy was perfect early on but rarely carried over his late-season promise last year.
Tom Brewitt – D
I don’t think anyone expected Brewitt to be a regular in the defence coming into the season, but the problems in recruitment saw him have to be the lynchpin. He started really well, but mistakes crept into his game and never really left as injuries saw him in and out of the side.
Brooklyn Genesini – D
Three substitute appearances and two starts see him creep above the threshold to feature. Genesini seemed like a panic signing and never found a place in the squad before getting a league winners medal at Yeovil Town.
Sean McGurk – C
A very difficult player to grade. His good performances make him a tantalising prospect, but he had some tough games too and clearly, there were some issues that saw him fall out of favour towards the end. I have seen him shine too brightly to not have faith in him, but will that be at Swindon?
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