Swindon Town 0-1 Crewe Alex 26-27 Review - Thanks Sky!

Ok, I take it all back. I love 12:30pm kick offs at the County Ground. In these last 3 visits, they are 2-1-0. They've won as many in their last 3 as they did in their previous 13. So you know what Sky, keep scheduling this fixture for a midday Saturday kick off. For the rest of time. Because it seems like the Alex enjoy their visits and are developing the nice habit of coming back from Wiltshire with 3 points. This is my review of their 1-0 win over Swindon:

A struggle

Let's not pretend it was all sunshine and rainbows. The first 55-60 minutes of the game were a tough watch. They created just 3 chances, none of which found the target. I'm aware they aren't going to be swashbuckling every week or even for large periods of games, but it wasn't great. That isn't just me saying that, Bell admitted as much in his post match interview. But the biggest thing was that they stayed solid at the back and didn't fall behind. They kept it 0-0 and that allowed them to find that quality to go and win the game.

Defence

The defence though, my goodness. They've conceded just 7 goals through 10 games. The last time they conceded the same amount or fewer was the famous 2002-03 season when they've let in only 6. And we all know how that season went. What's even more remarkable this season is how they've done it. With a mix and match midfield. Without Mickey Demetriou for 7 games and Reece Hutchinson for 5. Make shift LBs, a rookie at LCB and a keeper that most Alex fans had written off.

Yes, this isn't a great L2 this season, with the attacking quality at a premium across most sides. But this has still been an incredible start to the season for the Alex's back line and they deserve an enormous amount of credit for their defensive record.

Quality

As mentioned above, the Alex's attack once again failed to fire up until the hour mark. Was missing Jack Lankester their issue? Potentially. But they did find the quality in the end to score and it was a lovely move from Thomas, to March, to Gibson. Gibson didn't have a great first 60 minutes, but he's now scored 3 goals in his last 4 games. His career high for goals in a season is 7, so he's already almost halfway there. March was the one to set him up as well, the 2nd time in 2 games they've combined in such a fashion. It shows what they can do when things do click.

Kicking On

Perhaps the only other minor criticism is that they should have made the game safe after going 1-0 up. They had 2 great chances through Holicek and then March, but both efforts didn't find the net when they probably should have done. But what was pleasing was how they kept pushing for more goals. It wasn't constant pressure, more smart counter attacking play, but they had enough chances to score 2 or maybe 3 on another day.

Their 0.98 xG from that half was the 2nd highest they've managed in a 2nd half, behind only Crawley, where they had a 1-2 man advantage for most of that half. This was probably their best 2nd half from an attacking point of view, but more goals are still needed.

10 Up

10 games unbeaten and 18 points banked. That would be an outstanding total regardless of when it comes in a season, but for the Alex to start so well gives them such a good platform to build on in the next 36 games. The only time they've picked up more points after 10 games was the 02-03 season(19) and 19-20(21). Both seasons ended in promotion.

Opposition Analysis

Horrendous. Easily the worst Swindon side I've seen in 15 years. What is usually a hostile ground empty and silent. A team that usually has a range of attacking threats reduced to a pale shell of a team. Yes, they were rocked by injuries, but it feels like years of off field neglect is catching up with them. They were so poor and the Alex enjoyed possibly their most comfortable game there.

Referee Assessment

Twice Crewe players got clipped in the head by stray Swindon players. Twice the ref makes said Crewe had to go off for a minute. I understand the new rule changes, but it's a joke that it ends up costing teams/players who are genuinely injured. Can common sense not be applied?

Management Assessment

A good afternoon for them. We can discuss how Lankester got injured and what their role was in that, but they managed this game well and made positive, proactive subs which made the difference.

Player Assessments

Tom Booth

A couple of comfy saves late on, but all in all, a pretty quiet afternoon for him as his defence let very little through.

Lewis Billington

Definitely back to his solid best. Gave up nothing defensively.

Luke Offord

Typical Luke Offord. Another 7/10 display, which for most players they rarely achieve and for him is a weekly occurrence.

Josh Stephenson

Like Offord, pretty faultless all things considered, except that Drinan header where he let the striker peel off him far too easily. Still, aside from that, he kept it simple and cleared his lines when needed.

Kyle Ure

Not quite as good as last week, but still a solid enough performance. With Hutchinson seemingly not far off, he'll have to play well to keep his place at LB.

Joe White

Some really nice moments, but I do think he'd be better suited to playing in a 3 man midfield, with more support around him.

Owen Lunt

Possibly the quietest game I can ever remember him having and 37 touches in 90 minutes backs that up. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Jordan Gibson MOTM

Up until the goal, I was frustrated with him as I struggled to think of something he'd done well. But the goal was superbly taken and the spell between that and him coming off was the best football he's played since he joined. So for that alone he gets MOTM.

Joel Tabiner

Some bright moments, but struggled to impact the game as the attack never quite clicked. His withdrawal before the hour mark felt the right choice.

Josh March

I get he's struggling due to being shoved on the wing, but I was very frustrated with him today. His decision making in the final third, including taking that late chance off McNeill, boiled me. Still, he got the assist on Gibson's goal, so I suppose it makes up for the other frustrating play. I think him on the LW should be as an emergency, not a regular thing. Back to striker for him next week please.

Adrien Thibaut

After a strong game last week, today was the frustrating side of him, where he spent more time tussling with defenders than he did playing actual football. I think it's back to the bench next week for me because if I want any striker leading the line, it's March.

Subs:

Conor Thomas

A couple of minutes on the pitch and it's his ball over the top which set March away to tee up Gibson. Another decent cameo from him.

Matus Holicek

I really like him further forward, but that late 1-on-1 probably should be finding the net. His booking was a cheap one, but his all round impact was notable.

Calum Agius

Gave a lot of energy to the attack and his pull back should have found McNeill, who probably would have made it 2-0. He deserved an assist on that one.

Charlie McNeill

I hope March is apologising to him, because it looked destined for him to open his league account. Still, he was lively and built on his solid showing at Blackpool.

Overall Verdict

A rock solid defence. Quality to snatch goals and results. A good points total and 10 games unbeaten. A potential takeover working it's way ever closer(you hope) and the return of the wheel on the badge for next season. After a fair bit of grumbling through the run of draws, it's fair to give this group the credit they deserve. Now we ask how long this side can keep this run going.