AFTER 15 years and six torturous encounters, Swindon Town finally ended their losing streak to their neighbours from up the A420.

It may have been in the most unpopular new tournament ever seen in English football – and it was on penalties – but who really cares?

It was an odd evening as only two of the four stands were open due to a lack of interest in the new EFL Trophy format.

It hardly felt like a local derby but that changed once the contest got under way and the usual chants began emanating from the away support and Town End.

After the recent embarrassments in Oxford, it was important to get a notch in the win column of the local derby tally, but more importantly, it was good to see a Town side winning at home.

Another important aspect to come from Tuesday evening was the talent coming through from the youth team at the club.

Tom Smith was my man of the match as he was head and shoulders above his midfield teammates, chasing down every ball, driving the play forward whenever possible, and never shying away from a tackle.

I can’t see Luke Williams including him in this Saturday’s home league game as he’ll want to keep some consistency with his team in League One, but Smith has certainly put forward a huge case to his manager to give him a bigger chance at some point in the season.

Another youth team player to impress on Tuesday was goalkeeper Will Henry, as he performed heroics in the shootout, saving three spot-kicks.

Henry has only donned a Town shirt five times in his young career but every time, he’s made a big impact.

It’s encouraging to know we’ve got a very talented goalkeeper to come in this season if needed, and hopefully many more times in the years to come.

On Saturday, we welcome recently-relegated Bolton Wanderers to the County Ground.

Mentioning Bolton to any Town fan and a thought of what could’ve been instantly comes to mind, with memories of the club’s agonisingly close return to a League Cup final back in 1995, and a ‘cheating’ John McGinlay.

Follow me on Twitter @danwjonson

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