County take a break from League Two action this weekend, as focus turns to the FA Cup and a first round tie against in-form Swindon Town at Edgeley Park.
In the league, a 0-0 draw at Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night means we have now lost just one of our last eight games in all competitions, and have kept five consecutive clean sheets. That point on the road has now lifted us to within five points of the play-off places.
Promotion to the Football League last season means we now enter the FA Cup at the First Round proper, without the need to go through the qualification rounds. We are looking to reach the second round of the competition for the third successive season, for the first time since doing so between 2004-2007.
Swindon meanwhile secured an emphatic victory away at promotion rivals Mansfield last time out, coming from behind to win 5-2 at Field Mill – a result that lifted them to within two points of the automatic promotion places.
The Robins made it all the way to the third round of the competition last season, earning a mammoth tie against Premier League Champions Manchester City at the County Ground – a game they eventually lost 4-1 against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Saturday’s game will be the Club’s Remembrance Day fixture for 2022, with bugler Christopher Stiles returning to Edgeley Park to perform The Last Post ahead of kick-off.
Since we last met:
It’s been just a few months since Swindon last visited Edgeley Park as Antoni Sarcevic’s late volley secured a dramatic point for County, who had earlier been reduced to ten men following a red card for captain Paddy Madden.
That result gave us just our fourth point of the season, with Swindon sat three points further ahead after a mixed start to the campaign under new boss Scott Lindsey.
It’s fair to say both sides have found their feet since that day, however. Swindon, play-off semi-finalists last season, have picked up 22 points from their last ten games in League Two – only league leaders Leyton Orient have picked up more in that time. Their 17 goals scored in that time is also the highest in the division.
Since that game at Edgeley Park, Swindon have played 11 times in the league, winning seven, drawing two and losing two – those two defeats coming to Stevenage and Northampton, who currently occupy 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Those results have seen them emerge as strong promotion contenders in recent weeks, currently sitting in fifth place, but it’s been a different story in cup competitions so far this season.
After losing their Carabao Cup first round tie away at Walsall, the Robins have since lost all three of their Papa John’s Trophy group stage games, so it remains to be seen if the side can replicate their league performances in the cup.
One to watch:
It felt like the deadline day loss of striker Harry McKirdy to Hibernian would prove a big loss for Swindon Town going forward – the controversial front-man scored 19 goals in League Two last season as the side just missed out on promotion via the play-offs.
It hasn’t proved to be the case however as the Robins continue to churn out the results, all whilst playing an expansive, possession-based style of football. Key to that has been the form of mercurial Wales international Jonny Williams, who has really started to rediscover his best form in League Two.
The former Crystal Palace and Sunderland midfielder was arguably the best player on the pitch when these two sides met back in August, and the 29-year-old has found the net six times already in League Two – including two in that win against Mansfield last time out.
Match Stats:
- This will be the first ever cup tie between the two sides – all previous 35 meetings have come in the league, with Swindon winning 16 to County’s 11.
- Calum MacDonald has made six starts for County since signing last month, and has yet to concede a goal in any of those six games. The only time County have conceded with Calum on the pitch came in the final minute of our game against Grimsby, in which he had come off the bench.
- County have only lost one of our nine previous FA Cup games at Edgeley Park – that defeat coming against Premier League West Ham in 2021.
