PLAYER RATINGS: SWINDON TOWN 1-2 BURY FC

SWINDON TOWN succumbed to a 1-2 home defeat against Bury as the Wiltshire club slipped down to 14th in the League Two standings. TotalSport Swindon’s Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings in the aftermath of defeat.

GK: Luke McCormick: 7

Chosen by Brown to stick between the posts after recent clean sheets and played well despite the defeat. Pulled off two good stops within the game’s opening minutes and was ever-present in goal as he kept Swindon in with a chance. Couldn’t have done anything different to stop the goals but would still expect Vigouroux to return as number one.

RB: James Dunne: 3

Making his return from suspension, James Dunne endured a torrid afternoon playing at right-back. An accumulation of poor deliveries, losing the ball too often, and frequently being caught out of position made for Dunne’s poor performance. Was withdrawn in the 60th minute to cheers from the Swindon crowd.

CB: Sid Nelson: 6 

Impressed once again in defence and appeared composed throughout whilst making some good last-ditch tackles to stop Bury increasing their lead. Won his aerial battles well but could’ve commanded his area better as Bury players too often skipped through the box without interruption. A good performance and continues to improve.

CB: Luke Woolfenden: 7 

Scored his first goal for the club to momentarily put Swindon level, and what a strike it was. Alzate’s corner bounced in the box as Woolfenden smashed his effort first time on the half-volley into the back of the net. Has started well since arriving at SN1 but at times lacked accuracy in his passing when put under pressure. 

LB: Matty Taylor: 5 

Included in the team most often for his expert set-piece delivery, however, a tough afternoon saw the 36-year-old lacking in quality delivery from dead ball situations. Was at fault for Bury’s first goal after Byron Moore penned the fullback into his own box before unleashing a shot. Struggled with the pace of the game and will be glad the match is over. 

RM: Jermaine McGlashan: 6 

Started on the right-hand side of an attacking three but was often given the freedom to roam. Tried to use his pace to get in behind the Bury defence but struggled for creativity when one-on-one with his opposite number. Tried hard throughout but lacked quality in the final third.

CM: Jak McCourt: 5

Making his second consecutive start since joining the club and didn’t offer enough in the midfield when going forward. Recovered well in defence to try and nullify the threat Bury’s attackers posed but too many misplaced passes offered the visitors chances on the counter-attack. 

LM: Ellis Iandolo: 5

Was withdrawn ten minutes after Town went a goal down and wasn’t given much time to stamp his authority on the match. Tried to get forward when presented with the ball at his feet, and will surely be frustrated with his substitution.  

RW: Steven Alzate: 6

At times showed glimpses of his ability to try and create openings but too often lacked support when going forward. A creative player stifled of opportunities against Bury and didn’t appear to link up well with his fellow attackers.

ST: Marc Richards: 5 

Should’ve given Swindon the lead in the 9th minute when played through one-on-one with the goalkeeper but was let down by a heavy touch when sprinting forward. Didn’t offer a big enough goal threat and was too easily restricted by the opposition centre-back pairing.

LW: Elijah Adebayo: 7

Taken out of his preferred centre-forward position and didn’t have much luck on the wings. Used his strength well to hold up play, but appeared frustrated at the number of poor deliveries being played into him from his teammates. Can’t fault his effort for trying but just couldn’t make the difference for Swindon today.

Substitutions: 

Toumani Diagouraga (29th minute): 6 

Introduced to the match early on after Swindon went one-nil down. Appeared fitter than in previous matches but couldn’t provide enough energy when going forward. Put his body on the line to block shots and will be hoping to push on for more minutes.

Keshi Anderson (60th minute): 7 

Brought on in an attacking change that saw James Dunne replaced. Gave Swindon the energy they lacked when going forward and nearly equalised for Town when his long-range effort in the 76th minute whistled past the post. Should’ve been introduced earlier.

Joe Romanski (73rd minute): N/A

Didn’t have enough time to change the outcome but was diligent in defence to cut out some long balls.