After weeks of deserved praise for the goalscoring trio at Swindon Town, it was the turn of our backline to show what they’re about, as Michael Flynn’s side picked up another three points to lift his side to third in League Two.
With Jake Young and Dan Kemp scoring for fun in recent weeks, the focus hasn’t been on the defensive performances, as if we’re scoring five goals every week, conceding three to Sutton United isn’t much of a problem in the grand scheme of things.
We all know teams who earn promotion are built on a solid platform, performances had to improve, and against Walsall at the weekend, we saw an improvement from individual players and as a defensive unit.
Frazer Blake-Tracey rightly won Man of the Match for his performance in leading the side from the back, but the man who plays in the middle of the three, Tom Brewitt, could have easily been MOTD.
It was frustrating to hear last week that another transfer deal had slipped through the fingers of the manager as this player had decided to move abroad it’s reasonable to presume that player is centre back Ryan Edwards.
He would’ve been an ideal addition to Flynn’s side moving forward, but I’m sure other names are in the pipeline for the coming weeks.
If Edwards had signed last Friday, and after getting back up to match fitness, it would’ve been interesting to see whose place in the side he’d take.
Before Saturday, I would’ve said Brewitt’s place is the most up for grabs, but with him enjoying his Saturday afternoon, it will be a tricky decision for the manager when the time comes.
Looking up the pitch and our array of talent, it was a relief to see Charlie Austin pick up another goal this season, as his wonderfully placed header gave Town an early lead.
He’s been working incredibly hard to find space and help his teammates put the ball into the net, and it was clear by his reaction at being subbed against Sutton that his lack of goals would’ve been on his mind.
But quality shines through, and it’s a helpful reminder to myself and others how fortunate we are as a club to have someone of Charlie Austin’s talent and experience at the club this season.
The only downside to Saturday’s game came afterward in the post-match interview as Andrew Hawes from BBC Wiltshire asked Michael Flynn about Austin opening the scoring and his form.
Which presented the platform to criticise an article written by sports reporter for the Swindon Advertiser Joe Acklam.
In the article titled “Charlie Austin: How is he being used for Swindon Town”, the journalist made valid points about Austin this season, it did highlight some of the issues with his finishing, but the piece was mainly about how he is contributing to the side.
I was surprised to hear the manager be annoyed about the article and damning towards the young sports reporter.
All journalists know they’ll be criticised for what they write, that is part of the job, and managers do need to stick up for their players, but the Welshman’s comments, on the whole, came across as unnecessary, especially when reading the article as a whole.
Another positive from Saturday’s game came from the stands as for the first time in many years, all three stands at the County Ground were getting involved in making the atmosphere a little bit louder inside the stadium.
For twenty years, I stood in the Town End, as I always enjoyed the atmosphere inside the stand, but this season I’ve moved to the Arkells Stand for various reasons.
It was good to hear how instead of the noise coming from one stand, it was a joint effort by everyone in attendance. This is something that needs to be built on moving forward.
The overall atmosphere inside the ground last season wasn’t great, but it’s encouraging to hear a decent level of noise back at the County Ground.