WHATEVER hard work Swindon Town put in on the training ground last week paid handsome dividends on Saturday. Against Yeovil, at a wet and windy Huish Park, Swindon not only completely negated an in-form attack but also punctured, three times, a defence that had held out for over 10 playing hours, writes Peter Mitchell.

This was an unbelievable turn-around from the miserable performance we witnessed at the County Ground against Bury.

All the players looked up for it from the start and they were playing as a complete unit. To criticise any individual’s performance would be nit-picking - and what a pleasure to be able to say that!

Swindon made three changes with Olly Lancashire making a welcome return at the back, Keshi Anderson replacing McGlashan out wide, and Toumani Diagouraga playing in a holding midfield position. Additionally, James Dunne reverted to playing a forward midfield role, which suited him far better than the right back position last week, where he looked like a fish out of water.

Immediately Town looked sharp and were completing crisp incisive moves. No evidence of the poor passing so prevalent last Saturday. Yeovil really only mounted two dangerous attacks in the first half and, although goalless at the interval, you felt confident that with Swindon’s constant attacking flow it should only be a matter of time before the breakthrough came.

It arrived on the hour mark when Steve Alsace capped a fine performance by steaming forward and unleashing a hard low shot into the corner. Twenty minutes later, for the first time this season, Matt Taylor converted a free kick from 20 yards with a superb low skidding strike.

Yeovil had a chance to get back into the game after a blatant push by Keshi Anderson in the box, but Olomola blazed high onto the top of the crossbar. Town finally gave the score line a more realistic look when Elijah Adebayo picked up a loose ball and struck a fine curling shot from just inside the wide side of the box.

Sid Nelson, even incurring a shoulder injury during the game, put in a superb performance at the centre of defence helped by the able and experienced Lancashire. Young Luke Wolfenden, filling in at right back, was hardly troubled, so why on earth, having been pushed into that position against Morecambe, didn’t he play there against Bury? Once again Luke McCormick gave a very competent performance between the sticks and impressed with his quickness off his line to cut out several through balls.

Playing so much further forward was the big difference, as it severely limited the pressure put on Town’s somewhat erratic defence.

Now we can look forward with much more confidence and anticipation to the visit of Oldham Athletic next Saturday. Swindon now lie in 8th position and a win next week would mean 18 points from the first 10 games – a haul equivalent to about 82 points for the season, which would be enough to be on the fringe of automatic promotion.

What a difference a week makes!