Swindon Town came from behind to seal passage into the Bristol Street Motors Trophy knockout rounds with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s.

Questions would have to be asked about the defending as Tyrese Hall netted in the first half but Swindon showed determination after the break with Danny Butterworth finishing after a slick one-two and then Sean McGurk curling in a delightful winner.

So, how did the players fare as individuals at The Nigel Eady County Ground?

(Image: Newsquest)

GK: Dan Barden – 6

This was a better performance from Barden having lost his place back to Jack Bycroft. At 1-0 down right at the start of the second half, he made a massive save to keep Town in it and that quickly proved pivotal. His short passing definitely seemed more decisive even if his long balls remain wayward.

RB: Jeff King – 3

This was a tough night for King. He is not yet fully fit, so that did not help, but his lack of pace can be a problem and definitely proved to be so during this one as Hall, Leo Black, and others caused him an awful lot of defensive problems.

CB: Ant McCormick – 6

A very strong debut for the youngster. His comfort on the ball was very apparent and he never looked perturbed by what was at times a furious Spurs press. But he also showed the other side of him as he got the elbows out and made key defensive interventions.

CB: Ryan Delaney – 5

Delaney is another working their way back from injury and he was up and down in this one. In Town’s better periods, he was getting forward with the ball and picking nice passes but also when they came under pressure he got slightly panicked. He did well to negate the speed of Spurs in behind with his experience.

LB: Rosaire Longelo – 6

This performance from Longelo was more like what he showed in pre-season. Being the main provider of width on the left, he got into several very good positions and had some balls which deserved more. His speed in recovery was also very useful.

CM: Jake Cain – 6

I was very close to giving Cain a seven, but I think he drifted a little bit too much for that. In spells, he was very dangerous with his vision and ability to turn in midfield, but then there would be periods when he was not involved enough. Either way, it was his best display for a while.

CDM: Joel Cotterill – 6

The best thing about Cotterill’s performance is that some of the jitters he seemed to have receiving the ball deep earlier in the season looked to be gone. There is real talent in him and I think Ian Holloway can help to bring it out.

CM: Danny Butterworth – 5

He took his goal very well and in the first half took up good positions between the lines but he was probably the least impactful midfielder throughout.

RW: Botan Ameen – 5

Ameen, even in a down performance by his standards, looked at home in a first-team fixture. His speed did cause problems, but it did feel like his runs weren’t being utilised at the right times and that meant he was never able to get into dangerous positions.

ST: Paul Glatzel – 6

Asking Glatzel to be the Harry Smith player is definitely not the way to use him but when he was able to rotate into wide areas or drop in and get on the ball, he did look threatening. Then he had the presence of mind to feed McGurk for the winner. Special mention to the way he trapped the ball dead from a long punt out to the left in the first half.

LW: Sean McGurk – 7

To quote the great philosopher Anakin Skywalker: “This is where the fun begins.” McGurk seemed to understand his free role last night and it brought the best from him. He orchestrated all of the best attacks and then scored a fabulous goal. Holloway seems to understand McGurk and hopefully, this is the start of him taking off.

Substitutes:

Grant Hall – 6

Hall has come under fire with his more recent displays but in this game, he looked like an experienced defender should against an academy side. He was always in control and his passing was very slick.

Joel McGregor – 6

When coming up against an elite academy, there was a certain thrill in seeing our own youth player come on and look a cut above. He did not have a lot of openings going forward but defensively he locked Spurs down time and again.

Dylan Mitchell – 4

I was excited to see Mitchell get some time in this one but he didn’t make much of an impression in his 19 minutes on the field.

Aaron Drinan – 5

In his cameo at the end of this one, we saw one particularly good run down the side. His work rate is a plus for this new system but you still want to see him get in the middle more often.

Owen Foye – N/A

He was not on the pitch long enough for a rating but I get more excited by him every time I see him play.