Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Swindon Town 4 Crewe Alexandra 1

Adam Rooney's brace helped rout the Railwaymen and put Swindon's play-off hopes back on track.

Swindon had won only three of twelve games and slipped from second place in the table following former manager boss Paolo Di Canio' walk out in February.

But new boss Kevin MacDonald had his side ready to do battle against a Crewe team that seemed to have one eye on their summer break.

Rooney opened the scoring in the fifth minute.

Central defender Aden Flint nodded down a forty yard free kick from skipper Alan McCormack and Rooney pounced to blast the ball into the roof of the net from two yards.

Spurs on loan midfielder Massimo Luongo bravely added a second in the eighteenth minute.

Midfielder Gary Roberts crossed the ball from the left and Aussie Luongo beat defender Harry Davis's boot to the ball to head in his first Swindon goal from fourteen yards.

Hot shot Rooney grabbed his second seven minutes later when he nodded in Luongo's corner from eight yards to claim his ninth goal in nine starts since arriving on a season long loan from Birmingham.

Skipper Davis pulled a goal back from the spot in the 65th minute.

Striker Max Clayton was brought down by keeper Wes Foderingham and Davis slotted in his first of the campaign.

But substitute James Collins sealed the win in the 71st minute when he took the ball off midfielder Oliver Turton just outside the area and fired in his seventeenth goal of the season.

Seconds before Luongo's goal Flint shut out Crewe.

Foderingham flapped at a corner from Michael West and Flint headed Kelvin Mellor's far post volley off the line.

Swindon should have scored more, but Roberts missed a sitter from two yards and keeper Alan Martin blocked Collins shot from ten yards.

Swindon manager Kevin MacDonald is now eyeing promotion via the play-offs and said:

"The whole group put in a very good performance and we need to do that for another five games. Everyone played very well and I was pleased with their efforts. We started well and got the early goal and then got our just desserts."

Crewe boss Steve Davis said:

"I'm not going to be too harsh. We needed to look at some of our squad players for next season against one of the best teams in the division. I need to know whether they'll be good enough and now's the time to look at them. Some have done well and some haven't.

When you have an average age of twenty, you're going to get nights like this."



My clipping from the morning paper

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