MATCH REPORT | Swindon Town 3-0 Colchester United

SWINDON TOWN recorded their biggest home win of the season as goals from Canice Carroll, Luke Woolfenden, and Kyle Bennett saw Swindon dominate Colchester United at the County Ground. Total Sport Swindon’s Ryan Walker gives his match report following the full-time whistle.

Titled a make-or-break match for Swindon Town iwith a win seeing them further narrow the gap to the playoffs with a game still in hand, whilst a loss would all but eliminate Town’s playoff hopes saw the first outcome prevail as Swindon produced a masterclass at the County Ground.

Three changes made by Richie Wellens saw the Swindon manager start with a new-look side as Lawrence Vigouroux was one of three players to return to the starting team against Colchester. 

Having scored nine away goals in 2019 already, Colchester attempted to stamp their authority on the match early on as John McGreal’s side dominated possession penning Swindon back into their own half and limiting them to long-ball tactics. 

However, despite enjoying the majority of the ball, Colchester had little to show for their efforts as the match remained goalless, lacking action, and below the par of what many expected come the twenty-minute mark. 

Two goals in his previous two games at the County Ground highlighted Theo Robinson as Swindon’s main attacking threat but a lack of support saw him isolated up top with a speculative left-footed shot in the 23rd his only real effort on goal in the first-half. 

A lack of cutting-edge action from either side saw the match looking set for a goalless end to the first-half. But a combination of sloppy mistakes and poor possession play from Colchester saw Swindon Town take the lead through the most unlikely of goalscorers as Canice Carroll scored his first goal for the club in the 39th minute. 

A weak goal-kick from Colchester’s Gilmartin only went as far as Robinson on the halfway line who burst down the right-wing before whipping a cross into Dunne as the midfielder played it off to Woolery and the attacker headed it back into Carroll inside the six-yard box with the midfielder firing his shot past the keeper into the back of the net. 

A goal out of nothing seemed to have stunned the visitors but it had the opposite impact on Swindon as the Robins won the ball back from the kick-off and had doubled their advantage just moments later with Luke Woolfenden this time the goal scorer. 

An interchange of passes in the build-up to the second goal ended with Dunne’s perfectly placed cross to Colchester’s back post finding Woolfenden who headed first time past Gilmartin to conclude the first half action with Swindon now firmly in control. 

Conceding two goals on the stroke of half-time seemed to have had a resounding impact on the Colchester players as they struggled to create openings against the high-press imposed by Swindon’s players. 

Manager John McGreal would’ve been hoping that his double substitution of ex-Swindon striker Luke Norris and Tom Eastman would change the game in Colchester’s favour but either did little to rectify the situation the away side found themselves in. 

In contrast, Swindon Town refused to retreat into a defensive shell as they have done so many times this season, Richie Wellens instead instructing his players to get forward. 

Swindon excelled in every area of the pitch as their quick-passing attacking play wreaked havoc against Colchester’s backline. Wave after wave of attack went by as Swindon edged ever closer to their third goal before Kyle Bennett’s long-range 65th-minute strike made it three-nil.

Picking the ball up on the halfway line, Bennett strode towards Colchester’s goal and with the travelling team slow to put him under the midfielder unleashed a powerful strike from 30-yards out that the keeper could only tip onto the underside of his bar as the ball crept in to give Swindon their biggest home win of the season. 

Little action for the remainder of the game saw Norris, Nouble, and Senior all have speculative efforts on the goal of Vigouroux but Swindon’s defence remained relatively untested as a solid defensive display suffocated Colchester of opportunities. 

Cameron Bancroft was brought on in added time to make his first-team debut for the club as the full-time whistle blew moments later to give Swindon their second home win of 2019 with Town’s promotion hopes still firmly intact.