MATCH REPORT | Swindon Town 2-0 Walsall

Swindon will have hoped to keep their unbeaten start to the season going with Walsall coming to the County Ground.

The visitors were coming off the back of two wins in a row; this week's game promised to be a tighter affair than against Sutton. 

First Half

Swindon would start the game perfectly, just two minutes into the game Remeao Hutton would get the ball out wide following a scramble in the box and his cross would be met by Charlie Austin whose looping header found the back of the net.

Austin celebrates the opener. (Photo Credit - Robert Noyes)

Swindon would dominate the early stages, keeping control of the ball and not giving Walsall a moment to breathe as they continued the search for a second goal. The opening 15 minutes saw Town have 82% possession.

The midfield battle was key to controlling the game with Walsall piling the middle of the pitch with players, making it hard for Swindon to get moves going. Swindon thought they had a second when Jake Young set Dan Kemp through on goal who slotted it past Evans, but was just too early and was flagged offside. 

Jake Young almost added to his tally of nine league goals following a brilliant team move that saw Austin swing a cross into Young but he couldn’t get the vital touch. Walsall would get their first chance of the game following some almost comical defending that allowed Tom Knowles to get in behind and take his shot early, forcing a save out of Murphy Mahoney.

The visitors could have levelled when a free-kick was taken short before being dinked over the top of the Swindon defence to Freddie Draper, who flashed a ball across the goal before being cleared away by Godwin-Malife, who denied an easy tap-in for Oisin McEntee. 

Walsall continued their efforts for an equaliser. This time Mahoney was the man to deny Draper, getting down well to push his effort away.   

The halftime whistle would come closing out a half that saw Swindon have the perfect start to the game and then struggle to break through a packed Walsall midfield. The visitors created a few chances at the end of the half, but could not level the score. 

Young battles in the midfield  (Photo Credit - Robert Noyes)

Second Half

The first chance of the second half would fall to Jake Young, who just couldn't get onto the end of a cross flashed in by Kemp. Austin almost added a second goal to his name when he won the ball just outside the Walsall box; his powered shot was just wide of the post. 

Both sides were struggling to create chances and the battle in the midfield was keeping either side from getting the crucial next goal. Blake-Tracey would have the next big chance of the game, Kemp's corner landed perfectly for him to volley at goal, but the shot was easily smothered by Evans.

Walsall would go down to ten men in the 66th minute when Tom Knowles picked up a second yellow card for a tackle on Blake-Tracey, the Walsall man was late and completely missed the ball. 

The goalscorer Charlie Austin would make way for one of the heroes of last week in Rushian Hepburn-Murphy who got an immediate chance, nearly getting on the end of a weak pass back to the Walsall keeper, who just got there ahead of Hepburn-Murphy.  

Austin comes off for Hepburn-Murphy  (Photo Credit - Robert Noyes)

After going down to 10 men Walsall had to defend against almost constant pressure from the Swindon attack, who created chance after chance but nothing would fall right and the score would somehow remain 1-0.

Swindon had two chances to kill the game off with just minutes to go, first came George McEachran's effort which was parried by Evans, then came Tyrese Shade who cut in and fired just wide of the near post. 

With just a few minutes to go the man who sealed the game against Sutton would do it again. Hepburn-Murphy capitalised on some poor defending from Walsall, this time he beat Evans to the ball and passed home into the empty goal, sending Swindon into the automatic promotion spots. 

Hepburn-Murphy fires home to win the game.  (Photo Credit - Robert Noyes)

The full-time whistle would come and Swindon continue their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable victory over the ten men of Walsall, who following the red card, did not look like creating any chances. 

Swindon are up to third in League Two and will be full of confidence when they travel to Morecambe next Saturday.