No need to panic...

Watching the Wycombe game away last Saturday, it could have been easy to concede that our season is falling down the drain, with our players cracking under the pressure and expectation that has come with with the promotion push.

However , you only have to cast your mind back to the start of this season, to see the brilliant advances that we have made.

The 5-0 drubbling by Gillingham on the first day of the season left most Swindon fans thinking the worst, with another season of mid-table osbcurity belived to be the best result.

The town seemed to have no direction, devoid of any spark or creativity. David Lucas was weak in goal, Cuthbert indecisive, and Paynter anonymous in attack. 5-0 seemed like a good result to us, and only thanks to Norwich’s -7 goal difference, we did not occupy the bottom position.

Seven months later, and that horror show seems like a distant memory, with playoffs certain and automatic promotion a strong possibility. Ironically the conclusion from that horrific game was that we musn’t panic, as we languished in the lower reaches of the league, and now the battle cry seems to be same, only with a mere 19 place difference. It can be said that loan signings have dramatically improved the state of our team, however a squad of similar players seems to have changed completely.

Lucas has proved to be a calming influence at the back, while the strong, determined figures of Cuthbert and Greer have been a revelation in the heart of the defence.

The industrial, calm central midfield pairing of Douglas and Ferry has provided the engine of the team, while Austin’s meteoric rise from obscurity and Paynters consistent scoring record has created a media storm.

This quality has been evident in the performances across the season, with a number of impressive results quietly moving us up the table. Norwich’s and Leed’s impressive first half of the season had kept us away from the limelight, proving a blessing in disguise as we discretly drifted towards the playoff places.

The majestic 3-0 win over Leeds on a cold night in Febuary propelled us into the promotion picture, and until recently we hadn’t looked back, completing the Leeds double and grinding out several other crucial results.

The loan signings of Alan Sheehan, Stephen Darby, Simon Ferry and Danny Ward have delivered brilliantly with the touch of top class quality filling the final piece of the jigsaw in the team.

Though the rise of Austin has been well documented as the success story of the season, these terrific loan signings and the structure and performances of the team as a whole have been excellent to see.

After considering the advances made since that horror show back in August, We can now look with hope and optimism towards the final two games of the season and the proceeding play-offs.

Only because of the expectations, all to familar with a promotion chasing team, some fans have conceded that our season is over, however that most certainly isn’t the case.

Though 3 points from 9 isn’t promotion form, we are still firmly in the picture. We should now approach the next two games with a renewed optimism, and whoever we face, look positively towards the playoffs and hopefully gain promotion!

Swindon drop points in the fight for promotion

Swindon came away from Adams Park with a point on Saturday after a hard fought draw with Wycombe Wanderers.

A two all draw in the end proved a fair scoreline in a match that truely emphasised the phrase ‘a game of 2 halves’. Goals from Billy Paynter and Alan Sheehan were cancelled out by Matt Bloomfield and former loanee Alex Revell as Swindon succumbed to their third draw in three games.

Fortunately they retained 4th place, however Leed’s United’s emphatic 4-1 win over MK Dons left STFC 4 points adrift of that all important 2nd automatic promotion place. Swindon in the first period were non-existent, with a number of aimless passes hopelessly evading the heads of Austin and Paynter.

Danny Ward came off injured after 38 minutes, with Mark Marshall his replacement. Several half-chances were the story of the first half, until the 48th minute when Matt Bloomfield combined with fellow central midfielder Lewis Montrose, evading the challenge of Greer and firing the through-ball into the bottom corner of the net.

After the break, Swindon sprinted out of the blocks, immediately levelling the scoreline when McGovern reached the byline and whipped the ball in for an unmarked Paynter to head home. From then on, Swindon were on the front foot, however found it hard to break a resillient Wycombe defence.

The experienced Gareth Ainsworth marshalled their side brilliantly, and it was his persistence that created Wanderer’s second goal.

After a foul in the box in the 73rd minute by Jon Paul McGovern on winger Kevin Betsy, the referee pointed straight to the spot, with Alex Revell given the chance to heap misery onto Swindon’s shoulder’s.

The former town striker shot weakly to the top right corner, with Lucas palming the ball away, however Ainsworth was quick to react, lofting the ball to the far post where Revell was on hand to head into the top corner. Swindon could have easily given up, however the true mark of a promotion chasing side is that they can grind out results when performing badly.

This proved the case when within 7 minutes, Scott Cuthbert threaded through a pinpoint pass for Alan Sheehan to cooly slide into the bottom corner. A period of end to end football ensued, with Wycombe having the clear cut chances. Matt phillips and Kevin Mcleod spurned good oppurtunities with Phillips shooting a freekick just over, and all too quickly the game reached its close, with both sides left frustrated with a solitary point.

Though it can be conceded that the second promotion place is categorically out of our hands, Swindon can look with confidence towards the playoffs, though most certainly it is going to be a month of nail biting for all town fans.

By Ed Stevenette, 14, The Commonweal School