Two home matches. Six points on offer. Just one taken. We’re still very much on board with how we’re looking at the moment, and, yes, we’re going to lose a game every now and then. And, yet, we can’t help but feel that this season’s home fixtures so far were all eminently winnable. With the exception of our win indoors against Grimsby Town, we’ve lost hard-won leads. It’s just as well, therefore, we aren’t in the dog-walking game. That said, the past week is now history. Let’s be looking forward – and to Swindon Town it’s away we go. Oh. Joy…
Swindon Town v Stevenage: The Lowdown
The Opposition:
Not so long ago, the prospect of a trip to Swindon would have scared the Ian King out of us. And not because it’s a bit rubbish as towns go. Cue the protests of “yeah, well, Stevenage ain’t exactly paradise”. Protests that fall on deaf ears. After our famous 1998 FA Cup win at the County Ground, our record against the Robins went sour. You can ignore our 2005 LDV Trophy defeat as any sort of point of reference. We actively encourage you to. Our first three meetings, however, were heavy Swindon wins. To nil. Three games, no goals, EIGHT against.
The last time Swindon and Stevenage went tête-à-tête came in early 2014; a League One fixture if you will, and one that went in our favour. It was the first time in 16 years that we’d beaten them. Mind you, it’s a reminder of how far we had risen. When we met in the FA Cup, Swindon were in the second tier and we were stumbling around the lower half of the Conference. In 2014, though we were both third tier. OK, so they were actually decent at that point and pushed for promotion three seasons on the spin. And, yet, here they now are…
The Form:
It isn’t unreasonable to have fancied Swindon for an immediate return to League One. The Robins’ results so far this season, however, are somewhat erratic. Wins at Carlisle, Morecambe and Luton were impressive, but their home form is in need of a sharp uplift. Quite simply, they don’t seem to like playing in front of their own kind. Crawley and Barnet, for example, have won there and handsomely so this term. The only side not to win there, oddly, are Exeter City – and that’s the only blip on the Grecians’ super start to the season.
kickoff.co.uk has the pictorial evidence
The Referee:
John Brooks. Not to be confused with ex-Spurs and Stevenage Town forward Johnny Brooks.
P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A2; last result: Stevenage 0-2 Blackpool, 10/12/2016
The Head-to-Head:
P7 W2 D0 L5 F5 A12; last result: Stevenage 2-0 Swindon Town, 14/01/2014
• BoroGuide’s Swindon Town club profile: Never mind the bollards…
