Chris

Swindon Town have won all but one of their last six games in League One, the only game which saw them defeated was against MK Dons. The final score 2-1, however they have beaten Peterborough, Bristol City, Preston and Chesterfield within recent games. Back on Saturday the 8th of November, Swindon made a shock exit in the first round of the F.A Cup by the hands of Cheltenham Town, 5-0 was the final score. Within League One Swindon Town currently sit 2nd, they have scored 9 times in their last six games conceding only three times. In the JPT and F.A Cup, the Robins have scored only twice, allowing 8 goals in. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 29th November – Swindon Town 1 Fleetwood Town 0 Saturday 22nd November – Peterborough 1 Swindon Town 2 Saturday 15th November – Swindon Town 1 Bristol City 0 Saturday 8th November – Cheltenham Town 5 Bristol City 0 (F.A Cup) Tuesday 4th November – Swindon Town 1 Preston North End 0 Saturday 1st November – MK Dons 2 Swindon Town 1 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Micheal Smith 12, Andy Williams 10, Jonathan Obika 7 and Yaser Kasim 3. Persistent Foulers; Nathan Thompson 3 Red Cards and 5 Yellow Cards, Louis Thompson 1 Red Card and 4 Yellow Cards, Yaser Kasim 6 Yellow Cards and Jack Stephens 4 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Jonathan Obika, Michael Smith and Andy Williams are Swindon Town's robust front line. Massimo Luongo, Yasir Kasim and Louis Thompson are the key men in midfield, whilst Wes Foderingham is a stand out goal keeper within this league. Jonathan Obika is a player who creates a lot, whilst also proving he can finish chances himself. The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster forged a name within League One and he will be one to watch. Michael Smith and Andy Williams are traditional marksman, who can cause any side danger as their goal tally's suggest. Massimo Luongo is Swindon Town's rock within the midfield, he pulls the strings and can pin point pass to advancing wide men. Yasir Kasim is a tricky player to retain, his movement generally causes opponents problems. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Swindon Town have a reputation for being a passing side which can quickly turn carefully created attacks into dangerous chances. They play direct, focusing on advancing wide men but with the ability to break sides down quite easily from the centre of the park. They can fire chances from distance, while their forwards can be menacing within their oppositions penalty box. Many of their key chances come from bursting runs, where supporting players manage to find space. If their attacks split defences, which is often the case they go for direct shots towards goal and are not afraid to have a shot. Their main strengths are skill, pace and spotting how to break down opponents. Whilst proving that they're lethal on goal sight, Swindon Town do often waste very decent chances but again they have the ability to create them without a problem. Weaknesses are mainly within their disciplinary records, several players are prone to making bad decisions and becoming heated as a direct result. Defensively they're very well setup, however if pressed their defence are prone to stray and do poor passes which can easily be picked up. With their age being considerably young, they're quite inconsistent on the field but can still finish sides off with a touch of class. Swindon Town appear to struggle with tall or fast players, this results in rash and silly changes. Cheltenham Town realized this, which caused the Robins defence to panic time and time again. If the game doesn't sway in their favour, concentration tends to drop which can allow decent teams to punish them. Match Thread - Opposition View - The Match Officials - Stat Attack

Swindon Town find themselves in fine form, however a small blip to the hands of Cheltenham Town in the F.A Cup saw them knocked out having conceded 5 goals and scoring none in the process. However, the Robins have picked up some very impressive victories so far this season. Pride of Nottingham have taken the time to catch up with resident Robins fan medievalmickey, he's kindly answered our questions. Firstly, could you remind prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Swindon Town fan? I am closing in on 69th birthday and was taken to 01st match at the County Ground, by my Granddad, when I was around 7 years old. I stood at the Town End and could just about peer over the fence. I remember seeing youthful Terry Paine play for Southampton and a Reading winger named De’ath which amused me somewhat. I watched Trowbridge Town in Southern League during mid 60s but started watching Swindon Town again during late 70s and have watched regularly for the last 30 years. I am now philosophical about football and am no longer embittered by the inevitable defeats. “Girlfriend said that it was fun even though the others won” as sung by Half Man Half Biscuit is fine by me. 2nd in the league, things are looking good for the Robins - Did you think you would be in this position at this stage in the season and do you think you could win the League One title? I did not think we would be this high in the table and thought 5th or 6th would be as good as it could be. A lot was made of our Tottenham feeder club status and three loanees left at end of last season and all are playing at a higher level this. Tim Sherwood is no longer at Spurs so this arrangement has faded away but our Chairman, Lee Power, has forged links with Southampton and Norwich. Peterborough United, Bristol City, Preston, Barnsley, Sheffield United and Bradford City - All teams Swindon Town have defeated so far this season. How do you feel about having beaten these sides and which stand out to you? We were said to have a tough November and lost early on to MK Dons and then subsequently thrashed by Cheltenham Town in FA Cup. In between we beat Preston at home and then defeated Bristol City, Peterborough United and Fleetwood Town. The Bristol City result was most pleasing because where we live is biased towards them and local media was full of Steve Cotterill’s bitter outbursts. It's hard to see a weakness within a side doing so well, however do you have any concerns? Do you feel there is any need to strengthen in January, if so where and why? If not care tell why this is? Apart from Andy Williams we are unlikely to field any player over 23 years of age so inconsistency is a real concern. We are guilty of “overplaying”, losing a sense of purpose and having no Plan B. Mark Cooper has worked hard on this and I think we are now more focused. We are likely to lose a player or two before any strengthening can be made in January. Swindon Town supporters now generally trust Lee Power to do what is right for the Club and its ethos. What does Football mean to you? Is there more to the game than rivalry and what do you like about the sport a way from Swindon Town? I enjoy watching live football and cannot contemplate how I would fill the void should I be unable to watch Swindon Town. I abhor moronic behaviour by anyone connected to the match day experience. I know we will not win every game and am happy(?) to applaud the opposition when it is deserved. I am sure that if I sat down with Joe we would get on well because of our love of the game. Rivalry should be good natured banter with no malice. I like sport generally but find it more enjoyable if I want one team or player to win otherwise it is easy to lose interest. Which Swindon Town players are currently in form and which of them stands out to you as the main threat to Notts County? Our set up is about the team as a unit and there are no standout stars. Massimo Luongo and Yaser Kassim have become full internationals this year and are possibly headline names and, on their day, can boss any midfield. Defence is generally tight and all three main strikers have been among the goals. We field a mixture of Academy, loan and “plucked from non-league” players that have been blended into a team that works for one another and plays attractive football. Who from the Notts squad do think could cause a threat and how would you set Swindon Town up on Saturday? I do not know too much about Notts. County squad other than Ronan Murray who was on loan with us a couple of years back. I am impressed by your results in Shaun Derry’s first full season and would see a win for us as an excellent result. Mark Cooper is talking of possible defensive injuries for the weekend so will set the team up according to available players. You will see that we try to make the ball do the work and are happy use Wes Foderingham, the goalkeeper, as a sweeper. Finally, how do you see the game going on Saturday? Could you please predict the Half and Full Time Scores, including goal scorers if possible? Sorry Joe I will not tempt the gods of football and predict any scores. I should imagine it will be a tight game with little to choose …. which almost certainly guarantees any easy win for one of us. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mickey for taking the time to answer our questions, we hope to see him around the site, enjoying our features and we wish Swindon all the best with their season ahead.

Saturday 13th of December, Swindon Town will be visiting Meadow Lane Stadium, Notts come into the game having picked up a 1-0 over Doncaster Rovers in the JPT. Notts will be looking to repeat or do one better than their last League One game, a 1-1 draw to Sheffield United. Swindon Town come into the game having beaten Fleetwood in their last game at 1-0, they have also enjoyed successful wins over Bristol City, Peterborough United and Preston. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Swindon Town will be Darren Deadman, with his two assistants Robert Atkin and Michael George. The fourth official will be Amy Fearn. Match Officials Referee; Darren Deadman From – Cambridgeshire His matches involving Notts County and Swindon Town in the last four season. League Cup – Saturday 11th August 2012 – Notts County 0 Bradford City 1 – 7 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 27th October 2012 – Stevenage FC 0 Swindon Town 4 – 3 Yellow Cards F.A Cup – Tuesday 18th December 2012 – Notts County 0 Rotherham United 3 – 5 Yellow Cards, 1 Red Card League One – Saturday 23rd February 2013 – Swindon Town 1 Notts County 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League One – Friday 18th October 2013 – Swindon Town 2 Notts County 0 – 5 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 30th August 2014 – Swindon Town 1 Coventry City 1 – 3 Yellow Cards Run down of his last four games. Championship – Tuesday 4th November 2014 – Millwall 2 Blackburn Rovers 2 – 3 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card F.A Cup – Saturday 8th November 2014 – Walsall 2 Shrewsbury Town 2 – 6 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 15th November 2014 – Gillingham 3 Leyton Orient 2 – 4 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card League One – Saturday 29th November 2014 – Yeovil Town 0 Preston 2 – 2 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card In his last four games 15 yellow cards have been shown and 3 red cards. So far this season in a total of 16 games he has shown 64 yellow cards and 5 red card. That's roughly 4 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Robert Atkin From – Lincolnshire Last 3 League One games. Saturday 15th November 2014 – York City 0 Oxford United 1 Saturday 22nd November 2014 – Bury 1 Newport County 3 Saturday 6th December 2014 – Cambridge United 2 Mansfield 2 Assistant Referee; Michael George From – Norfolk Last 3 League One games. Tuesday 18th November 2014 – AFC Wimbledon 3 York City 1 Saturday 22nd November 2014 – Colchester United 0 Coventry City 1 Saturday 6th November 2014 – Wealdstone 1 Staines Town 0 Fourth Official; Amy Fearn From – Leicestershire Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Doncaster Rovers have drawn three of their last six games in League One, with two wins coming from Rochdale AFC and Bradford City. Their last defeat was to promotion chasing Sheffield United, the final score was 1-0 to the Blades as Jamie Murphy scored the decisive goal. Two days ago on the 6th of December, Doncaster beat Oldham 1-0 in the second round of the F.A Cup, Oldham Athletic's exit came as a result of an own goal. Within League One Doncaster Rovers currently sit 16th, they scored eight times in their last six games conceding only five times. Recent cup games have seen the Vikings score five from two, conceding one in the process. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 15th November – Doncaster Rovers 0 Sheffield 1 Tuesday 18th November – Weston-S-Mare 1 Doncaster Rovers 4 Saturday 22nd November – Rochdale 1 Doncaster Rovers 3 Saturday 29th November – Crewe Alexandra 1 Doncaster Rovers 1 Tuesday 2nd December – Barnsley 1 Doncaster Rovers 1 Saturday 6th December – Oldham Athletic 0 Doncaster Rovers 1 (F.A Cup) The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Nathan Tyson 6, Theo Robinson 4, James Coppinger 4 and Curtis Main 4. Persistent Foulers; Harry Forrester 2 Red Cards and 4 Yellow Cards, Paul Keegan 4 Yellow Cards, Kyle Bennett 4 Yellow Cards and Reece Wabara. The Key Players. Andy Butler, Paul Keegan, Marc De Val, Kyle Bennett, James Coppinger, Harry Forrester and Nathan Tyson. Nathan Tyson the former Notts loanee has found himself consistently starting for Doncaster Rovers, he is a tricky player who uses his pace to his advantage and score when presented a golden opportunity. Paul Keegan, Marc De Val, Kyle Bennett and James Coppinger are Doncaster Rovers creative midfield, who are all able of creating play and scoring. Spanish born Marc De Val hasn't yet scored, however he's came close to scoring some spectacular efforts. Andy Butler is a solid defender who will be Doncaster's main defensive threat to us, this was highlighted by Walsall fans who stated earlier in our home game this season that he was the missing link within the current Saddlers squad. Harry Forrester is a promising striker who Notts fans should be aware of from his time playing for Brentford, although his goal scoring record is hardly impressive – the football he shows on the field can be. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Doncaster are a direct, physical side who like to use their players with pace in order to gain space for chances. Typically they're not afraid to take chances from outside of the box or from distance, yet when on the flanks they mix low balls with floating crosses which causes confusion for the opposition defences. They don't fail to create chances, with their creative players being able to mix how the Vikings attack their opponents. Their main strengths come from break down play, players cleverly move in order to create space which they use to exploit. Smaller teams are often frustrated by the height of the Doncaster players, which is another added strength. Doncaster are more offensive than defensive, their attacking players will be a threat to any side within League One and all must be marked duly. With regards to weaknesses it appears Paul Dickov side scramble defensively and are prone to error when hit directly via the centre of the park, either with pace or flowing passes which gain forward ground. Teams have to be wary when they pack players into their own penalty area, as limited space is often given to opposition teams. Notts might be presented with more chances from outside of the penalty box rather than inside, so players like Thompson, Jones and Noble will be useful. Match Thread - View New Content

Friday 28th of November, Sheffield United will be hosting Notts County at their Bramall Lane Stadium, Notts will be trying put aside the defeat to Yeovil Town by putting together a convincing performance against a side one point above us in the League One table. Sheffield United come into the game having drawn their last game at Oldham 1-1, however the Blades have won 4 of their last six games, ironically the same as Notts. The Match Officials for Fridays game against Sheffield United will be Robert Madley, with his two assistants Derek Eaton and Edward Smart. The fourth official will be Darren Drysdale. Match Officials Referee; Robert Madley From – West Yorkshire His matches involving Notts County and Sheffield in the last four season. League One – Saturday 27th August 2011 – Preston 2 Notts County 0 – No Cards League One – Saturday 21st April 2012 – Notts County 2 Bury 4 – 3 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card League One – Saturday 24th November 2012 – Notts County 1 Swindon Town 0 – 5 Yellow Cards Run down of his last four games. Championship – Saturday 25th October 2014 – Derby 1 Wigan 2 – 6 Yellow Cards Championship – Saturday 1st November 2014 – Watford 3 Millwall 1 – 6 Yellow Cards Championship – Wednesday 5th November 2014 – Fulham 2 Blackpool 2 – 5 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card. Premiership – Saturday 22nd November 2014 – Leicester 0 Sunderland 0 – 5 Yellow Cards In his last four games 22 yellow cards have been shown and one red card. So far this season in a total of 11 games he has shown 42 yellow cards and 4 red card. That's roughly 3.8 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Derek Eaton From – Gloucestershire Last 3 League One games. Tuesday 4th November 2014 – Sheffield Wednesday 0 AFC Bournemouth 2 Saturday 8th November 2014 – West Ham 0 Aston Villa 0 Saturday 11th November 2014 – Bishop's Stortford 1 Eastborune Borough 1 Assistant Referee; Edward Smart From – West Midlands Last 3 League One games. Wednesday 29th October 2014 – Tottenham 2 Brighton 0 Saturday 1st November 2014 – Hull 0 Southampton 1 Sunday 9th November 2014 – Sunderland 1 Everton 1 Fourth Official; Darren Drysdale From – Lincolnshire Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Yeovil Town come into the game only having scored two goals in their last six games, a run of 4 defeats and two draws shows the lack of form by last years Championship struggler’s. However, they cannot be written off because of this as fortunes frequently change. On the 8th of November Yeovil beat Crawley Town in the F.A Cup at home by one goal to nil. The last time they won in the league was back in September against Peterborough. League wise The Glovers haven't scored since the 18th of October and the last time they scored more than just one goal was back on the 6th of September, they beat Bradford 3-1 away from home. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 11th October 2014 – Port Vale 4 Yeovil Town 1 Saturday 18th October 2014 – Yeovil Town 1 Swindon Town 1 Tuesday 21st October 2014 – Sheffield United 2 Yeovil Town 0 Saturday 25th October 2014 – Yeovil Town 0 Rochdale 3 Saturday 1st November 2014 – Chesterfield 0 Yeovil Town 0 Saturday 15th November 2014 – Yeovil Town 0 Fleetwood Town 1 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; James Hayter 2, Kieffer Moore 2, Joel Grant 1 and Simon Gillett 1. Persistent Foulers; Ben Nugent 1 Red Card and 5 Yellow Cards, Kevin Dawson 4 Yellow Cards and Ofori-Twumasi 1 Red Card. The Key Players. Brendan Moloney, Kevin Dawson, Sam Foley and Joel Grant. The former Notts loanee Brendan Moloney will be a key player for Yeovil both defending and attacking, whilst on their day Kevin Dawson, Sam Foley and Joel Grant can all cause headaches for their opposition counterparts. Joel Grant is particularly good at pulling the strings and getting involved in attacking play. Sam Foley is a player Notts will need to be aware of as he can allude attention and quickly find space to pose a threat to any defence, he also has an eye for goal. Notts will be best falling back to the typical 4-4-2 formation or 3-5-2 with at least two of the midfielders providing cover at the back. This will counter measure Yeovil and prevent them from breaking freely, Haydn Hollis and whoever partners him must be aware of the threat of pace, whilst also being sure to deal with the task from crosses. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Quick, direct and rely heavily on the spaces created on the flanks. Yeovil Town like to drill or float crosses into the penalty area where they are a threat. Many of the chances that have been created in previous games have come from set pieces or crosses, whilst the direct dynamic play allows them to attack with speed. Their ability to get crosses in towards tall players is their main strength. Yet Yeovil Town can break down sides with their smooth, possession passing which when watching would leave you questioning as to why they're bottom of the League One table. They generally zonal mark teams, packing multiple players onto a single player which leaves them open and disorganized at the back. When hit with pace themselves, Yeovil drop off creating space in front which limits chances for opposition sides, yet presents chances whereby crosses or long distance efforts leave their players rooted. Their lack of clinical finishing, sees good chances often wasted. Yeovil are particularly weak themselves when dealing with set pieces and crosses, if the balls are direct enough players committed to runs will get into them. The Match Officials - Match Thread