MATCH PREVIEW | Swindon Town vs Newport County

Swindon returns to League Two action tomorrow when they play host to Newport County.

Coming off the back of three losses in a row in all competitions, getting all three points will be vital for Swindon to bounce back into the playoff places. 

We will cover the loss to Reading and what it means for Town’s EFL Trophy chances later, but the league form has also begun to spiral. Swindon were undefeated until they met Notts County where a maddening 45 minutes saw them down and out with 45 still to play.

Bradford was a shock to many with no attacking options on the bench and the attackers on the pitch failing to create any big chances. Swindon fizzled out with no answer when the home side took the lead. 

This makes Newport potentially the biggest game of the season so far. A third successive league loss spells disaster. Winning would mean getting the team back on track and ready for the slug of games to come with Swindon playing twice a week for the foreseeable future. 

EFL Trophy makes for tough Reading

The EFL Trophy has seen Swindon pick up one point against Arsenal’s Academy. Their second game of the group stage saw them take on League One and not-so-local rivals Reading. 

Reading and Swindon have had an intense rivalry over the years, the two have not often faced off with the last game coming way back in 2002 but the clash in the EFL Trophy certainly showed there is no love between the sides. Multiple clashes between the two sets of fans saw multiple people arrested. 

The game itself showed the gap in quality between the sides, with Reading running rampant in a 5-0 demolition that just compounded the suffering Swindon have been facing recently. 

Town’s final group stage opponents, Exeter, are currently sitting midtable in League One and are having a much better season than Reading. There is a big chance Swindon will not progress in the competition but that could be a blessing in disguise. 

With a bare-bones squad, any time away from the already packed League Two schedule would be very beneficial, and with the FA Cup nearing, competing on three fronts is simply impossible for a squad of this size.

Head-To-Head

The visitors Newport have had a poor start to their League Two campaign, September saw them pick up only two points from a possible 15. Since then they have beaten Colchester, lost to Harrogate Town and picked up a win most recently against struggling League One side Cheltenham. 

When Swindon and Newport have gone head to head on recent occasions it has been a tense affair. Newport came out on top on the most recent encounter between the two in a 2-1 victory. 

In the last five league meetings between the sides, Newport have won three times and Swindon twice. The past meetings make it seem like the coming game will be tight and edgy throughout. 

Swindon Town League Form:
W D W L L

Newport County League Form:
D L L W L

Match Prediction:

We predict that Swindon will be getting back to winning ways in a game that is tight throughout, but the underlying quality that has been missing as of late will be there for Town to overpower a Newport side that has struggled away from home.  

Swindon Town 2-0 Newport County