After a disappointing home defeat to Leyton Orient on Monday afternoon, Swindon Town will be aiming to put the play-off ambition on track with an improved performance away to Hartlepool United.
It feels in the last month that it is one step forward and two steps back with the Swindon town side, we were in prime position in the middle of March for a real push at the play-offs and maybe even automatic. But a real dip in form has come at the worst time, other teams around us have capitalised and Swindon Town are not looking in from the outside waiting for teams to slip up.
Monday defeat was disappointing to put it bluntly, playing against a team who had ten men for close to seventy minutes as Hector Kyprianou picked up two yellow cards. Leyton Orient put up a barrier and were well drilled and answered everything Swindon chucked at them. The build up play from Swindon Town was too pedestrian and predictable. Cross field balls from left to right and vice versa trying to attack down the wide areas, it lacked creativity and lacked ideas.
Ben Garner confirmed in a pre-match press conference that both Rob Hunt and Joe Tomlinson will miss the rest of the season due to injuries picked up during both games over Easter. Rob Hunt has a calf tear and Joe Tomlinson has a knee injury. The silver lining is that Harry McKirdy is back and available for the trip to Hartlepool.
STFC Predicted line up
4-3-3
Wollacott, Egbo, Conroy, Baudry, Iandolo, Reed, Payne, Gladwin, McKirdy, Barry, Davison.
Hartlepool United are comfortably in the comfort zone of mid table in the League Two standings. Currently in fourteenth with fifty-three points from forty-three games. Just two points behind Leyton Orient who are place above. But are three points ahead of Rochdale who are a place below in the league standings.
Hartlepool United form under Graeme Lee in the last seven games is inconsistent. Just one win, four defeats and two draws. The one win was a five-goal thriller on the 18th March away at Newport County. Hartlepool United winning 3-2 thanks to Neil Bryne winner seventeen minutes from time. The Two draws were two home draws against teams who have aspirations on promotion come May. A 2-2 home draw against Mansfield at the end of March and a 1-1 home draw against league leaders Forest Green Rovers.
The four defeats were a 2-0 away defeat at Northampton Town, a 2-0 home defeat to Salford in the first game of April. Over Easter it was back-to-back defeats, on Easter Friday it was a 1-0 home defeat to Port Vale. Then on Easter Monday it was a 2-1 away defeat to the team directly below them in the league table in Rochdale.
By Scot Monroe