Five things we learned as Swindon Town are defeated by Notts County

Just seventeen minutes into the game, the seasoned striker’s header looped over Daniel Barden and, despite Ryan Delaney’s best efforts to head it away, found its way into the goal. George Abbott’s flawless ball found McGoldrick’s feet, and he skillfully finished it into the bottom left corner over twenty minutes later.

With no Harry Smith, Swindon need to find that clinical edge 

Smith was unable to play in Nottinghamshire due to a broken nose, hence Town’s greatest goal threat was not present.Throughout the ninety minutes, the visitors did found themselves in attacking situations, but the challenge was turning these opportunities into goals. They were unable to capitalize, whether it was due to careless shots, misdirected passes, or a striker’s bad first touch. It’s obvious that the Robins have the ability to advance to the final third if they are forced to play without Smith for an extended length of time or later in the season, but they must take full advantage of the opportunity or lose points.

The Robins must stick with what they know best – three in midfield

Having two players in the midfield was reasonably stable for the first part of the match. But it had several flaws and was a major factor in Swindon’s defeat. There would be enormous openings in the middle that would give the Magpies plenty of room if they could play out when Town put them under pressure. McGoldrick was a major factor in the hosts’ ability to maintain possession, as he had complete freedom to direct the play with just Joel Cotterill and Gavin Kilkenny. It’s reasonable that he can’t play in every game, but bringing in a man like Nnamdi Ofoborh to sit deeper in a trio might easily neutralize the threat.

Town need to restore the Colchester confidence with bouncing back

Go back to the match’s opening fifteen minutes. In crucial areas, there was a readiness to apply pressure and regain possession of the ball. However, the high intensity and the Nottingham score appear to diminish. Although it has been a hectic Christmas season for the squad’s defense and supporters have witnessed how fit this team has grown under Holloway, the abrupt switch off was worrying. After they scored, the home team had a firm hold of the match, and Swindon didn’t receive much of a chance.

Jack Bycroft has a chance to try and take back the number one spot 

Barden had to be substituted after suffering an injury in the 71st minute. Bycroft made a basic parry and a nice save during his brief appearance. Although there may not be many possibilities for starting in goal against Crewe Alexandra, the former Southampton goalkeeper has an opportunity to try and regain that position. The Wiltshire team may have to try to get an experienced goalie over the line as soon as possible, depending on how serious the injury is.

The January transfer window needs to bring quality depth

The tumultuous Christmas season of games is ended. Since there isn’t a midweek match, Swindon has plenty of time to recover and reassemble before three straight home games. The rotation brought forth by a hectic schedule has made the depth gaps in recent games clear, but there is still time to try to strengthen the team.

Although the league position may make it difficult to bring in seasoned players, there are numerous areas of the team that require improvement in order to assist the team get past its current predicament. The team has good players, but when they are not available (like Ollie Clarke), no one else can perform as well, which reveals the team’s shortcomings. It is essential to make signings that provide important players with overlapping skill sets for the town rotation.

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