PLAYER RATINGS: SWINDON TOWN 0-0 MANSFIELD TOWN

SWINDON TOWN entertained a goalless draw against David Flitcroft's Mansfield this afternoon as neither team could break the deadlock at The County Ground. TotalSport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings following the action.

GK: Lawrence Vigouroux (8)

After only returning from Mexico with the Chile squad on Thursday, Lawrence Vigouroux endured a fairly quiet game back between the posts for Swindon Town. Wasn’t forced into any wonder saves and his distribution was effective at getting Town up the pitch quickly. A solid performance to mark his return. 

RB: Kyle Knoyle (7)

Had a fairly quiet first half but was a threat when going forward in the second half. With Mansfield down to ten men, Knoyle was instrumental in creating space on the wings as he hugged the touchline. Made some good overlapping runs and linked up well with McGlashan, but was poor with his delivery from wide areas.  

CB: Olly Lancashire © (6)

Playing against a team who were happy to sit back and concede possession left Olly Lancashire with very little to do for the majority of the game. Won his aerial battles well and helped to snuff out the rare attack. Nearly gifted a goal-scoring opportunity at the end but a good performance. 

CB: Sid Nelson (7)

Back from injury and seemed to have carried on from where he last left off. Partnered Lancashire well and remained disciplined in a hotly contested match. Should’ve got his header on target in the 87th minute but a positive return nonetheless. 

LB: Matty Taylor (7)

Having seen his form dipped recently, the footballing veteran produced a performance that earned the defender man of the match. Eager to get on the ball, Taylor was instrumental in attack and frequently used his pinpoint passing to get Swindon on the front foot. Saw his free-kick attempt rattle against the post in the 81st minute but will be disappointed with some of his set-piece deliveries.

CDM: Toumani Diagouraga (6)

Responsible for covering the Swindon backline as Brown set his team up to play in a 4-1-4-1 formation, saw Diagouraga dominant in the engine room of midfield. Has pushed on in recent weeks and prior to his withdrawal was effective at clearing up loose balls at the back. Withdrawn early on in the second half as Town made attacking changes against ten men.

LM: Keshi Anderson (6)

Pace and agility are a big plus of Anderson’s game, however, his lack of quality in the final third is a problem. Was at the heart of the majority of Swindon’s attacks but too often made the wrong decision when pressing down on goal. He caused problems for the Mansfield defence and his pace made it hard for the opposition to man mark the 23-year-old but more quality is needed from Anderson.

CM: Michael Doughty (5)

Returning from injury, Doughty tried hard throughout the game as he made a nuisance of himself in the midfield area. Was unable to replicate the same form that he started the season with and was fairly innocuous when Town were going forward. Not his best performance but good to see play ninety injury-free minutes on return from injury.

CM: Steven Alzate (6)

Frequently found himself at the end of Swindon’s attacks but just couldn’t produce the finishing needed to put the ball in the back of the net. Was put through on goal by a delicate reverse ball from Adebayo in the 36th minute but opted for power when placement was needed. Did well to lose his man and create space for himself in the box, but must do better when presented with goal scoring opportunities.

RM: Elijah Adebayo (4)

Today’s draw was perhaps his worst performance at The County Ground to date. Positioned on the wing once again, Adebayo was poor with the ball and too often conceded possession as he struggled to get the ball under control. 

Was presented with the best chance of the game in the 68th minute after a McGlashan cross wrong-footed the Mansfield keeper left Adebayo with an open goal from six yards out, only for the striker to put his effort wide. Could’ve won the game for Swindon and today’s performance game was a poor showing all round from the loanee signing.

ST: Marc Richards (4)
 
Withdrawn in the second half after failing to make a big enough impact against the ten men of Mansfield. Too often came deep to search for the ball and when making runs in behind was often beaten for pace. Has failed to produce for Swindon this season and would be no surprise to see Richards relegated to the bench for Tuesday’s game. 

SUBSTITUTIONS: 

Jermaine McGlashan: (7)

His introduction signalled Brown’s intent to go full-on attack as Swindon attempted to get the win. Bullied the Mansfield full-back to create clear-cut chances for Swindon but his crosses were wasted as Swindon failed to fire on goal.

Kaiyne Woolery: (6)

Making his long-awaited return to The County Ground, Kaiyne Woolery couldn’t provide the difference needed in a stalemate encounter. Offered more threat through the middle than Richards and was given a half-chance on goal in the games closing moments but couldn’t get enough power behind his shot.

Ellis Iandolo: N/A

Had little time to make a significant impact and didn’t change much when brought on.