PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon (0) Barrow AFC (0)

Swindon put an end to their four-match losing streak as they played out a goalless draw against play-off chasing Barrow AFC. Total Sport’s Joe Acklam reviews the players’ individual performances.

Ratings scale: 10- won the game on their own, 9- unplayable, 8- outstanding, 7- very good, 6- good, 5- solid, 4- disappointing, 3- awful, 2- woeful, 1- frequent major errors

GK: Sol Brynn – 5

A solid afternoon from Brynn, who made a few important stops early when Town were a bit open at the back. He had less and less to do as the game went on as Swindon penned Barrow in, but he was there when he was needed.

RB: Remeao Hutton – 5

After a few games in which he received some criticism for his defensive displays, Hutton was a lot more solid going backwards. Barrow got very little down their left, but equally this did take something away from his attacking output.

CB: Tom Brewitt – 5

Brewitt revealed on Monday that he was having discussions about extending his contract and he has shown himself to be consistently solid at this level. Once more he put in a display which showed he is not one to be bullied and he is consistent on the ball.

CB: Tom Clayton – 6

Probably his best performance of 2023, he looked a lot more comfortable now that he has been restored to his preferred left centre-back role. He limited Josh Gordon to almost nothing and aside from one stray pass I can recall, he kept the ball very well.

LB: Frazer Blake-Tracy – 6

Blake-Tracy provided a good balance to the back line, as he is not as prone to galivanting down the wing as Swindon’s other full-backs. He makes himself known going forwards, but his presence gives those ahead of him a greater licence to be themselves.

CM: Saidou Khan – 5

We have certainly seen growth with Khan as the season has gone on, his decision making is much better, and he very rarely gives the ball away in dangerous situations anymore. He is better suited to being one of the eights but needs to start having more impact in the final third.

CDM: George McEachran – 7

The midfield works much better when he is at the base of it. You want a player of his quality to be on the ball as much as possible and it was invariably him that got the ball into dangerous areas. He played two passes during the first half that no one else on this team and possibly the league could play. I saw him hobbling a little bit after the game when he went to sign autographs, but hopefully the injury is not serious.

CM: Jonny Williams – 6

His average position for this game was basically in the middle of the pitch because he was everywhere. He made two fabulous runs from midfield which Barrow had no clue how to stop, one Austin should have scored from and the other he should have.

RW: Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 6

Hepburn-Murphy was a bit quiet in the first half, but when he started to drift and swap positions, he became far more impactful. He had a stonewall penalty denied and had Town’s solitary shot on target. When he is purring, he is a player who is determined to make things happen and this team needs a bit more of that.

ST: Charlie Austin – 5

His best work came outside of the box as when he came out to the left, it created space, and he nearly had a few assists. Unfortunately, he can’t cross to himself as an Austin-sized presence in the area probably does more with those crosses. He failed to sort his feet out a few times in the box when you felt he could have done more, but he did offer a decent amount outside of that.

LW: Jacob Wakeling - 5

Somewhat the reverse of Hepburn-Murphy when his first half was more impressive than his second. Elliot Newby struggled to deal with him one-v-one. As a winger his positioning and ability to get beyond defenders are very good, but someone needs to help him to take more care over his delivery if he is to continue playing out there.

Subs:

Dylan Kadji – n/a

Tyrese Shade – n/a

Ronan Darcy – n/a

Manager: Jody Morris – 6

I would say that Morris got the better of Pete Wild in the tactical battle. By working space out wide early on, Swindon forced Barrow into a back five quite quickly and this greatly reduced their ability on the counter. For a team with rock bottom confidence like Swindon, a game when they controlled proceedings from start to finish and proved they could limit defensive errors was important for rebuilding that belief, even if it was a bit dull. Ultimately if Swindon get the penalty or Williams pulls the trigger earlier then it is a job well done, so I think he deserves some credit.