PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town 1-1 Grimsby Town

SWINDON TOWN missed a golden opportunity to close the gap to the playoffs as ten men Grimsby Town held on for a 1-1 draw at the County Ground this afternoon. Total Sport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings following the match.

GK: Luke McCormick (7)

Replacing Vigouroux to make his first start since Swindon’s FA Cup exit against Woking, Luke McCormick was solid between the sticks in an afternoon that saw him relatively untested. Got down well to make a strong save from Cook in the 23rd minute but didn’t have much else to do. 

RB: Kyle Knoyle (7)

An average performance from Knoyle saw the defender consistent in both his attacking and defensive duties as Swindon controlled the majority of the match. 

Provided countless overlapping runs on the right-wing and his 15th minute low cross across Grimsby’s six-yard line should’ve resulted in Swindon opening the scoring. Didn’t have much to do in defence but marshalled the counter-attacking threat of Grimsby well. 

CB: Tom Broadbent © (7)

Captain for the day won the majority of his aerial battles and was a rock at the back for Swindon. Stood his ground in the 39th minute to head away Embleton's through ball that would’ve put Thomas through on goal. Was calm both on the ball and off it and has been the perfect replacement for Sid Nelson. 

CB: Dion Conroy (6)

Partnered Broadbent well but lost Luke Hendrie in the box as the defender headed past McCormick for Grimsby’s equaliser. Brought the ball out from defence well but at times seemed to focused on attacking rather than defending. Poor with his set-piece attempts in the games closing stages.

 LB: Ali Koiki (7)

Has become a regular at left-back since arriving at SN1 and endured a frustrating afternoon. Found space on the wing and linked up well with Anderson ahead of him but often found a lack of options awaiting him in the box with crosses into the box easy to deal with. Defended well but didn’t have much to do in his own area. 

RCM: Jak McCourt (7)

Has had a recent resurgence under the stewardship of Richie Wellens and produced another solid display in the heart of Swindon’s midfield. Helped to dictate the tempo during dominant periods for Town and provided the assist for Robinson’s goal. Has improved the quality of his balls into the box but at times takes too long with his decision-making. 

CM: Canice Carroll (7)

Played as a defensive midfielder when Swindon were out of possession but stepped up into central midfield when Town had the ball. Was instrumental in breaking up Grimsby’s attacks highlighted by a meaty challenge on Embleton in the 15th minute. Contributed to attacks well trying to get Swindon on the front foot but appeared short of ideas in the closing stages. 

LCM: Kyle Bennett (6)

Making his full Swindon debut in place of Michael Doughty, Bennett was effective in providing balls to Town’s trio of attackers but at times disappeared from the action. 

Smart on the turn when the ball was played into him allowed Bennett to create space in between Grimsby’s defensive line as he searched for the final ball that would lead to a goal scoring opportunity. Struggled with the intensity at times but more match minutes will improve his fitness levels.

RW: Kaiyne Woolery (6)

A poor showing from Woolery saw him fail to make the most of golden chances in front of goal. After scoring a spectacular solo goal against Forest Green Rovers last time out, Woolery was presented with countless opportunities against Grimsby but failed to find the back of the net. 

A brilliant chance on the stroke of half-time saw Woolery one-on-one with the keeper but the 24-year-old failed in his attempt to take it round McKeown who clawed the ball away. Hit the post with a header in the second half but must be more clinical in the box. 

ST: Theo Robinson (8)

Made himself a constant nuisance to Grimsby’s defenders throughout and was the spearhead for the majority of Swindon’s attacks. Stayed on his feet well to latch onto his own rebound and open the scoring with a powerful strike inside the six-yard box but didn’t have many other chances. Ran tirelessly throughout and more players could learn from the effort levels that Robinson puts into his match. 

LW: Keshi Anderson (5)

Cut a frustrated figure for large parts of the game and was sloppy in possession at times. Struggled to match the energy levels shown by Robinson and was too predictable when on the ball. Was criticised by his manager following the game and Anderson will be quick to forget this performance. 

SUBSTITUTIONS: 

James Dunne (N/A)

Came on late to replace Bennett and ran tirelessly but couldn’t affect the final scoreline. 

Marc Richards (N/A)

Substituted on with just moments left and tried to use his physicality to find the winning goal but didn’t have time to make a significant difference.