Ollie Clarke lashed home the winner as a resolute Swindon Town beat League One Wycombe Wanderers in their final pre-season friendly.

Following a few scrappy minutes of aimless long balls, Wycombe began to assert themselves as the more experienced direct team. Richard Kone was a handful up front who was enabling the Chairboys to get the ball into wide areas.

This swiftly resulted into a string of big chances that Jack Bycroft pulled off stunning saves to deny. The first saw Kieran Sadlier run into space behind Trialist A and attempt a rasping drive towards the bottom corner that Bycroft tipped wide. From that corner, Alex Hartridge won the duel at the back post and the leg of Bycroft denied him.

Any Bycroft doubters were having a difficult first 15 minutes as a quick Wycombe counterattack saw Josh Scowen scuff a shot that looped high into the air and looked to dip under the crossbar, only for the goalkeeper to push it over.

Swindon might have bulked up over the summer, but they were taking on a team who have been bodybuilders for years. Wycombe snuffed out everything that Swindon were trying to do and were ruthlessly efficient when they won the ball back. It was a clinic by the masters as Swindon continue their long ball apprenticeship.

It had been a very rocky first half and even my head felt like it had been in a blender with how Wycombe were running rings around Swindon.

Town's best opening came after half an hour as they overloaded on the right and Aaron Drinan raced in behind. He looked to play across goal but his ball was fractionally too far ahead of Paul Glatzel.

The visitor’s best chance came with five minutes remaining in the half as Scowen was played in down the right, he flicked the ball around Bycroft but wide of the far post.

Swindon had finally played their way into the game by the end of the first half and they looked more composed on the ball. After the break, Wycombe upped their intensity again and forced Town back for long stretches. However, there was some resilience in Swindon and they were not giving anything up for free.

Then out of nowhere Town had the lead. Rosaire Longelo nodded the ball infield so that Clarke could rampage down the right side of the box and slam a goal in off the inside of the post.

That first 30 minutes had been a real lesson from Wycombe and Swindon seemed to have learned something as they held the higher-league opposition at arm's length after the goal. Wycombe huffed and puffed, but the foundations had been dug and nothing was getting through.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Wright, Cotterill, Clarke, Glatzel, Smith, Longelo, Trialist A, Freckleton, Drinan, Hall.

STFC substitutes: Evans, Sobowale, Ofoborh, Cain, Khan, Minturn, Trialist B.

WWFC starting XI: Bishop, Grimmer, Harvie, Scowen, Hartridge, Butcher, McCleary, Bakinson, Low, Sadlier, Kone.

WWFC substitutes: Ravizzoli, Tafazolli, Wheeler, Vokes, Leahy, Udoh, Young, Skura, McCarthy, Bartolo, Pattenden.

Attendance: 2,335.