PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon (1) Bradford City (0)

A spirited performance by Swindon saw them win their first game for ten matches with a 1-0 victory against Bradford City. 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 – 6

Swindon did well to limit Bradford largely to shots from distance, they only hit the target three times, but as usual Brynn came up big when required. It is unclear how Romoney Crichlow got so little on his header, but Brynn still denied him from inside the six-yard box and he made two other fine stops on top of this. His decision making on the ball was also top notch.

RB: Remeao Hutton – 6

The Hutton and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy partnership on the right is becoming rather dangerous with how they create space for each other, as shown by the freedom Hutton had to deliver the cross for the winning goal. Ten assists for the season makes him the highest assisting defender in English professional football, it would be fair to say he has had a good season.

CB: Tom Brewitt – 6

Andy Cook might not be able to run, but he is a real physical presence and aside from one particularly dodgy header early on, Brewitt stood up to him really well. Brewitt alongside Tom Clayton in the centre of defence looks to be a partnership worth keeping.

CB: Tom Clayton – 6

Brewitt was the one more in charge of challenging Cook in front, but Clayton was key in covering behind and he did this very well. His 2023 had been a bit rough before the weekend, but that confidence looks to be flooding back in after another assured all round display.

LB: Frazer Blake-Tracy – 7

Before the late winner, Blake-Tracy was my man of the match. His lung busting run to make a crucial block in the first half was a perfect exemplum of his desire to win. He also became a major attacking threat during the second half as Scott Banks seemed to consistently lose track of him.

CM: Dylan Kadji – 4

Much like a lot of Kadji’s performances there was a little good and a little bad. There were times when he was muscled off the ball in a way a player of his size never should be and there were times he picked up space really nicely and helped Swindon work their way out of a pickle.

CDM: Saidou Khan – 7

Early on it looked like early season Khan was back as he picked the wrong time to try and turn and got caught out on a number of occasions. However, he came on strong in the second half and was one of a lot of players who really showed that this season still matters to them. His run in the second half when he beat three men and then got the ball wide to Blake-Tracy was so good that I feel obliged to mention it.

CM: Jonny Williams – 8

Williams did not play like a man set on leaving in three weeks. Much like against Barrow, he was everywhere and consistently drove Swindon up the field. He had the third most touches on the field and was intent on making them count. Watch the goal back and focus on his run into the box, he willed that into the net more than anything else.

RW: Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 6

This is probably the least impact he has had on a game for a few weeks, but that is a rather high bar. Despite that he was still taking players on at will and, like Williams, really bringing the game to Bradford.

ST: Luke Jephcott - 6

I thought everything he did outside of the penalty area was exemplary. The Bradford defenders did not know what to do when he dropped off to create another option. This was probably his second-best game of the season behind Mansfield away, but his score is limited by the fact he should have had at least one goal in the game, probably more.

LW: Jacob Wakeling – 5

Perhaps his rating gets moved down because everyone else was putting in the type of shift Wakeling does every game, but he stood out a little less for that reason. He always gets into good areas; he still just needs a bit more composure to make the best of those situations.

Subs:

Jake Cain – 5

Not a lot of his performance stands out aside from overhitting a cross field ball straight after coming on. However, when he came on Swindon took more control of the game and I think his tidiness on the ball played a role in that.

Ronan Darcy – n/a

Marcel Lavinier – n/a

Charlie Austin – n/a