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Five Things We Learned: Swindon 1-1 MK Dons
Swindon rescued a 1-1 draw at home to the MK Dons on Saturday and Total Sport's Ryan Walker has penned the five things he learned from the tie.
1) We just might stay up
Currently sitting in 22nd position, just three points from safety, there is the slightest of chances that Swindon Town might just stay up and avoid the dreaded drop to League Two.
With just four matches left it will certainly be squeaky bum time for the fans and players alike, and with Port Vale above having a game in hand it appears they are in the driving seat. The Wiltshire-based club have been poor all season but should they stay up then it will be one of their greatest escapes.
2) Resilient to once again come from behind
A draw is a draw, nothing more and nothing less. But when Jonathan Obika scores in the 90th minute in the middle of relegation fight, then that one point suddenly feels like three.
With a goal difference of -17, Swindon have one of the worst defences in the league, and once they go behind in a match it becomes almost impossible to bounce back. On Saturday, the Swindon Town players showed resilience, passion, and the will to fight, which will go a long way to keeping them up this season.
3) Team chemistry has massively improved
It’s difficult to account for how many times this season we have seen 11 individuals on the pitch for Swindon Town instead of one collective team. But thankfully that appears to be changing.
Luke Williams may not be managerial material but he is a good man manager, and the amount of work he has done to get this team playing together has to be commended.
On Saturday it was clear for all to see that every player on the pitch responded to one another in a positive way, but you just wonder whether it’s too little too late.
4) The relegation fight is exciting
No one wants his or her team to be in a relegation fight, but you can’t deny its not exciting. Swindon Town would much rather be positioned mid-table, planning for next season and their players already looking at where to go on holiday in the summer.
But the fact is that the Wiltshire club are in the middle of the fight of their lives. A higher than average attendance of just under 8,000 showed that the fans are fully behind the team as well, and with just two home matches left the fans are in for a crazy end to the season.
5) Need to plan for next season
Whilst all the focus is on the present, there is also great importance to look at the future of the club and start to plan for next season. Whether in League One or League Two, the realisation that Swindon Town will have a massive squad-building task ahead of them is a scary thought.
Players on loan will return to their former clubs, and the likes of Yaser Kasim, and Obika, to name a few, will more than likely depart from SN1.
A managerial change is also obviously needed and you would hope that Lee Power already has things in the pipeline.
All views expressed are those of Ryan Walker and do not necessarily represent Total Sport.
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