PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town (0) V (1) AFC Wimbledon

Swindon Town slumped to their first home defeat of the season against an impressive Wimbledon Athletic yesterday, losing one-nil at the County Ground. Total Sport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings following the loss.

GK: M Kovar (6)

Was helpless to stop Piggot’s goal and actually had very little to do in between the sticks. Collected crosses well when called upon.

RB: J Stevens (5)

Played out of position deputising for the injured Paul Caddis and did as well as you would expect an attacking winger to play in defence. Was caught out of position on countless occasions as the Dons attacked targeted him.

CB: J Grounds (6)

Making his first start for the club, Grounds made some crucial interceptions to deny Wimbledon increasing their advantage. Adds solidity to Swindon’s defence and will only improve with more minutes.

CB: M Baudry (6)

Recovered well after a terrible performance against Peterborough and in fairness couldn’t have done much to prevent Wimbledon’s goal. Looked comfortable next to Grounds but this defensive duo lacks pace which will be a worry for Wellens.

LB: D Donohue (6)

Was energetic throughout and looking like he is almost back to full fitness. Pushed forward well to create width and was constantly racing back to add numbers to Swindon’s defensive line when Wimbledon looked to break on the counter-attack. A good performance.

CM: M Smith (7)

Produced the typical performance that fans have come to expect from him as he frequently turned over possession in the middle of the park, but was let down by his teammates sloppiness. Drove forward with the ball and was smart to find through balls into Swindon’s attackers. 

CM: A Grant (6)

Was robust in the heart of Swindon’s midfield and forced Wimbledon to play down the wings when in attack. Broke up play effectively and would often drop into defence to allow Swindon’s full backs to push on. 

LW: D Jaiyesimi (6)

A mixed performance saw Jaiyesimi beat his opposite man on countless occasions as he showcased his silky footwork. But too often he was let down by his decision-making in the final third and chances went begging. Improved in the second half and stung the palms of Trueman with a fierce shot in the 82nd minute. 

CAM: J Payne (5)

Showed glimpses of quality but was also wasteful with the ball on too many occasions. Wimbledon nullified the threat of Payne well and as a result he drifted by unnoticed in large parts of the game.

RW: J Smith (5)

Put some dangerous balls into the Wimbledon box but didn’t do much else to excite. Gets too easily muscled off the ball and just doesn’t add much danger to Swindon’s attack.

ST: B Pitman (4)

A very poor performance from Pitman saw him never get into the match as he wasted good chances for Swindon through a combination of sloppy passing and poor hold up play. Didn’t look sharp yesterday and now faces the possibility of being benched against Sunderland.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

A Odimayo (6)

Came on at right-back to allow Stevens to push up to the wing position and did a solid job.

T Smith (6)

Used his speed well to try and get in behind the Dons backline, but a lack of delivery from his teammates meant Smith could do very little to impact the scoreline.

J Grant (N/A)

Came on with very little time left.