PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town (1) V (0) Bristol Rovers

SWINDON TOWN got back to winning ways at the County Ground today with a hard-fought one-nil victory over local rivals Bristol Rovers. Total Sport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings following the result.

GK: Matej Kovar (6.5)

Recalled to the starting XI and endured a relatively uneventful afternoon. Flapped at a few corners which almost caused unnecessary trouble but made a brilliant save from Mccormick in the dying moments of the match to keep Swindon’s lead intact.

RB: Akin Odimayo (6.5)

Preferred at right-back to Paul Caddis and put in a solid shift. Displayed his pace at times to help get Swindon on the front-foot and put in some meaty challenges to win possession for Swindon. A decent performance from the youngster who seems to get better with every game.

CB: Mathieu Baudry (7)

Back in the starting team and produced a good all-round performance. Read the game well and rarely looked in trouble. Looked sharp on the ball and made some good recovery challenges to deny Bristol clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

CB: Jonathan Grounds (4.5)

Despite keeping a clean-sheet Grounds still looked woeful at times. Jumped into challenges and almost gifted Bristol a clear-cut chance when he mistimed a header in the first-half with Baudry having to clean up with a well-timed interception. Made some important tackles but just looks short of the grade required at Swindon.

LB: Dion Donohue (6)

Having recovered from injury Donohue produced a performance that was impressive in both defence and attack. Bombed on down the left-wing throughout the first-half, contributing to attacks and tracked back well to make some strong tackles. Picked up a yellow card late in the first-half but was a good all-round showing from the fullback.

CM: Matt Smith (5.5)

Wasn’t at his best today with some of his passing below par but improved as the match went on and provided a delicious ball into the box for the only goal of the game. Has been Swindon’s best player this season but looks like he could use a rest.

CM: Anthony Grant (5.5)

After a disappointing showing on Tuesday, this was a better performance from the experienced midfielder. Didn’t have to defend much as Bristol opted for a long-ball tactic, but read the game well and carried out his defensive duties solidly when called upon. Went down in a heap of pain late in the first half but should be ok for Tuesday,

LW: Hallam Hope (5)

Didn’t contribute much to today’s game and looked short of ideas when in possession. Failed to make much of an impact and wasted a great opportunity to make it two-nil in the 85th minute after blasting his close-range shot over the bar.

RW: Jonny Smith (4.5)

Got on the ball lots, but apart from the odd decent cross didn’t ever pose much of a threat. Has lacked quality in the final third for the majority of games this season and it’s hard to see why he is a frequent starter at Swindon.

CAM: Jack Payne (5)

Started brightly with two attempts on goal inside the opening 25 minutes but faded as the match progressed. Was withdrawn midway through the second-half as Swindon looked for a more direct means of attack.

ST: Brett Pitman (6)

Scored the winning goal with a smart header past Jakkolla in the 75th minute, but overall this was another lacklustre showing from the Swindon striker. Held play up well at times but was infuriating to watch as he often ended good build-up play with poor decision-making. Hopefully the goal will have given him the confidence to push on.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Jordan Stevens (6)

Introduced early in the second-half and provided more threat than Jonny Smith. Created space for himself on the wing and was direct with his running which put Bristol on the back-foot. A good appearance and will undoubtedly get better the more minutes he gets.

Joel Grant (5)

Came on with twenty minutes left but didn’t create anything of any significance. Has been one of Swindon’s better performers recently and will be disappointed to have not started.

Tom Broadbent

Brought on to sure up Swindon’s defence with minutes left.