5 things we learnt: Swindon Town v Oldham Athletic

SWINDON TOWN failed to make it back-to-back league victories as the Wiltshire outfit finished goalless in their match against Oldham Athletic yesterday. TotalSport Swindon's Ryan Walker gives his analysis on '5 things we learnt' following the result.

McCormick deserves to be number one

When Lawrence Vigouroux departed for International duty with Chile, Luke McCormick was expected to provide a temporary replacement for Swindon between the posts. 

However, after keeping four clean sheets from Town’s last five matches, McCormick has established himself as the clubs first choice keeper, and deservedly so. He was rarely troubled against the attackers of Oldham yesterday and dealt with aerial threats well whilst commanding his area.

Too much inconsistency in front of goal

After scoring three goals against Yeovil last weekend, many expected Swindon to be devastating in front of goal yesterday. An attacking trio of Anderson, Adebayo, and Richards, did well to create multiple chances, especially throughout the first half but struggled to capitalise on their opportunities. 

Frustration started to grow into Swindon’s play as the match went on, and it was clear Town were missing the quality of Doughty in the final third.

Adebayo should be Town’s number nine

The debate between who should start through the middle in attack for Swindon has split opinion this season with many making arguments for both Adebayo and Richards to be the team's central striker. But yesterday’s performance confirmed that Elijah Adebayo deserves the nod to lead the line.

Richards was invisible throughout the match leading up to his substitution in the 59th minute as Swindon failed to make the most of their chances. In contrast, when played through the middle Adebayo has been a constant nuisance to opposition defenders and it’s no surprise the 20-year-old has scored four goals already this season.

Swindon have learnt how to defend

Despite Swindon being wasteful in front of goal, the Town defensive line of Woolfenden, Lancashire, Nelson, and Taylor were excellent throughout. Oldham’s Ishmael Miller was nullified in attack by the Town defence and it was clear to see that Phil Brown has finally been able to incorporate his defensive tactics into his side.

Lancashire is still a doubt at centre-back but yesterday’s performance saw a well organised and solid defence cope with most efforts that they were presented with.

Diagouraga finally up to speed

After failing to impress in previous outings, yesterday’s match proved that Toumani Diagouraga is finally back to full fitness. Operating in the central defensive midfield position, the Frenchman controlled the tempo of the match and was a key figure for Swindon both in defence and attack. 

When defending, he consistently put in big tackles that earned a raucous reception from the crowd and used his strength well to win aerial duels and maintain possession. Whilst in attack, he contributed patience with quality to frequently kick-start Swindon’s attacks and get the ball into dangerous areas. Town failed to capitalise on big chances, but Diagouraga certainly impressed.