PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town (1) v (2) Oxford United

Swindon Town dropped back into the League One relegation zone last night as Oxford United recorded a 1-2 derby victory over John Sheridan's side at the County Ground last night. Read below as Total Sport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his Robins player ratings following the result.

GK: C Trueman (6)

Wrong-footed by Brandon Barker’s shot for the opening goal after it took a deflection but did recover to make some good saves, most notably getting down well to deny Rob Atkinson from close-range in the 62nd minute. 

RB: P Caddis (2)

Endured perhaps his worst performance in a Swindon Town shirt as Caddis struggled in both attack and defence. His passing and delivery of crosses into the box was poor, whilst at the other end, Caddis was ran ragged by winger Brandon Barker as the Scotsman failed to ever get close to his man. 

CB: T Broadbent (4.5)

Was responsible for his part in the opening goal after clumsily sticking out a leg that deflected Barker’s shot past Trueman. Looked the stronger of Swindon’s two centre-backs winning several aerial duels and did well when one-on-one with Matty Taylor.

CB: D Conroy (4)

Fell well below his usual standards as he was frequently caught out by balls over the top of Swindon’s defence. Lacked accuracy in his usually high-quality long-range passing, and was responsible for numerous fouls in and around Swindon’s penalty box. 

LB: D Thompson (6)

Enjoyed lots of the ball without ever really doing much with it. Did well to get into dangerous attacking areas on the wing but wasted those chances either putting a poor cross into the box or turning on his heels to pass backwards. Carried out his defensive duties well with Oxford rarely getting much luck down his side.

CM: J Lyden (5)

Made his presence known with a big tackle on Oxford Captain Elliot Moore in the opening stages however despite getting the ball was deemed to have fouled his man. Failed to get on the ball as much as he would’ve liked and was brought off at half-time after being caught on the receiving end of a nasty challenge from Mark Sykes which left the Swindon midfielder requiring stitches under his chin. 

CM: M Palmer (5.5)

Failed to have much of an impact on the game and struggled to operate in a defensive midfielder role alongside Palmer. Oxford played through Palmer with ease however the Swindon midfielder did do well at times to link up with Jordan Garrick and Scott Twine.

CAM: S Twine (6)

Positive when on the ball and worked tirelessly to try and get something out of the game for Swindon. Lacked accuracy with his shots from range and was limited of opportunities when playing in pockets of space in front of Oxford’s defenders. Worked tirelessly throughout but was ill effective after being marshalled well by opposition defenders.

LW: J Payne (4)

Deployed on the left-wing, however, drifted through large parts of the game unnoticed as John Sheridan opted for long-ball tactics that denied Payne opportunities to get into the game. Carried out his defensive duties effectively but will be frustrated by his lack of time on the ball.

RW: J Garrick (7)

Arguably Swindon’s best performer as he used his trickery and pace to get past Oxford’s full-back Josh Ruffels on countless occasions, however, Garrick lacked the quality in the final third to cut open the visitors defence. Earned Swindon their first shot on target on the stroke of half-time and looked lively throughout however must improve his decision-making in dangerous areas.

ST: B Pitman (5)

Had a golden chance to pull Swindon level in the 70th minute after Swindon were awarded a penalty against the run of play only to watch as his long run-up saw Stevens guess the correct way and deny Pitman from scoring his 10th goal of the season. Put in a determined shift and was good with his movement in the box but chances were few and far between for the experienced attacker.

SUBSTITUTIONS

A Grant (6.5)

Introduced at the start of the second-half to mark his return from a concussion injury and was effective in midfield as Swindon looked to get a foothold in the game. Came close to scoring with a long-range effort in the 57th minute that went marginally wide of the upright before winning Swindon their penalty after being brought down by Matty Taylor.

H Hope (4)

Came on with just under 30 minutes left in the game but failed to create anything of significance as Swindon tried to get back into the game.

T Curran (N/A)

Brought on in the closing stages of the game in a double defensive change and scored his first goal for the club during a goal-line scramble in added-on time.

A Odimayo (N/A)

Brought on at the same time as Curran and had very little to do in the closing minutes of the match.