PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town (2) v (3) West Brom U21s

It was a night to forget for Richie Wellens and Swindon Town as West Brom's U21 side humbled the Robins in a competitive EFL Trophy fixture last night. Read below as Total Sport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his STFC player ratings following the defeat.

GK: Matej Kovar (6.5)

Wasn’t at fault for any of the goals after being let down by poor defending in front of him. Passed the ball with accuracy and confidence apart from a lapse in concentration towards the end of the match which nearly resulted in a fourth goal for West Brom. 

RB: Paul Caddis (7)

Looked good when Swindon were attacking and even got on the scoresheet after creeping in at the back-post to tap home from close-range. However, was less impressive in defence and at times struggled to cope with the pace of West Brom’s Tyrese Dyce. 

CB: Taylor Curran (2)

Has had very limited game time at Swindon and based on last night’s performance won’t be getting much more. Was at fault for two of the goals and looked all over the place when under pressure.

CB: Akin Odimayo (6.5)

A significantly improved performance from the loss to Charlton and looked an assured figure despite playing in an unsettled defence. Did well to win the ball when in a one-on-one with Dyce and showed his strength throughout to win aerial duals and 50/50 opportunities. 

LB: Ellis Iandolo (6)

Was being constantly instructed by Wellens from the sidelines and enjoyed an evening of mixed fortunes. Showed his attacking prowess by providing overlapping support and delivering some good balls into the box, but was defensively caught out of position on too many occasions. 

CM: Matt Smith (5)

Making his debut for Swindon, the Arsenal loanee displayed some solid accurate passing but at times looked lost in the middle of the field and failed to take the match by the scruff of the neck against an opposition he would’ve been used to playing against. 

CM: Matty Palmer (4.5)

Started well but drifted as the match went on and failed to make much of an impact when Swindon went behind. Withdrew in the second half and will need to improve if he is to get more minutes under Wellens. 

CAM: Jack Payne (7)

An inspired performance highlighted Payne as Swindon’s player of the game with his forward runs and crosses into the box wreaking havoc amongst the West Brom defence. Had some good efforts on goal and nearly equalised in the final moments by forcing a good save from Cann. 

LW: Hallam Hope (5.5)

Showed some glimpses of his talent by using his pace and power to create space on the wings but was too often let down by his decision making and final ball. Hope might have a big role to play at Swindon this season so will need to improve if Swindon are to push for promotion in League One. 

RW: Jonny Smith (5)

Swindon fans would’ve been hoping Smith would push on after scoring a brilliant goal against Charlton in the Carabao Cup. However, this was a night to forget for Smith with the winger rarely getting on the ball in the first-half. Put some good crosses into the box in the closing moments but must do more. 

ST: Brett Pitman (5.5)

Making his starting debut for Swindon and looked a bit off the pace which isn’t a surprise for a player who hasn’t played for longer than ten minutes since December 2019. Had good positional awareness but was lacking the sharpness required to test the opposition defence. Will look a different player with some more minutes under his belt.

SUBSTITUTIONS: 

Anthony Grant (6.5) 

Added some aggression to Swindon’s midfield when introduced but could do little to influence the final score. 

Tyler Smith (7)

Came on and immediately scored Swindon’s opening goal with a strong header past Cann. Looked lively and could’ve been the difference if introduced earlier. 

Diallang Jaiyesimi (6)

Failed to get on the ball as often as he would’ve liked when brought on and failed to test the West Brom defence.