Town - 4 (Williams '24, Collins '28 '90, Ward '43)
Yeovil - 1 (Hayter '41)
TOWN saw off West County rivals Yeovil Town 4-1 in a dominant performance at The County Ground.
Andy Williams opened the scoring against his former employers before Darren Ward and brace from James Collins sealed the points.
Paolo Di Canio made just one change to the side that had won at Walsall seven days before. Skipper Alan McCormack returned to the starting XI while Nathan Thompson dropped to the bench. He was alongside new loan signings Chris Martin and Danny Hollands.
In a quiet opening the only efforts of note came from Matt Ritchie and Andy Williams who both shot over the crossbar.
It was not until the 24th minute when the game really caught fire courtesy of former Yeovil striker Williams. Expertly turning his man on the halfway line, the frontman advanced through on goal before tucking home past Stech to put Town ahead.
Four minutes later, Town had doubled their advantage. Joe Devera picked up possession on the halfway line before proceeding to go on a marauding cross-field run that saw him end up in a crossing position on the left. He produced a perfect ball in for James Collins to stretch and prod home Swindon’s second.
With less than five minutes to go until the break, the visitors were back in it. James Hayter’s header crashed off the bar and onto the goal-line with Foderingham managing to scramble the ball away from danger. The referee’s assistant on the far side immediately flagged and the goal was given.
Slightly aggrieved, if not visibly, by the decision Town continued to search for a third. Two minutes later it arrived from the most unlikely of sources. A deep free-kick from the left flank came all the way across to the right edge of the six-yard box where the ball eventually dropped to centre-half Darren Ward to thunder home from three yards.
Just before the whistle blew Devera managed to get on the end of another deep free-kick but could only stab wide.
New loan signing Chris Martin replaced the injured Andy Williams and he had the first effort of the second half, rifling over left-footed from the edge of the 18-yard box.
He had his first real sight of goal ten minutes later when he and Ferry combined inside the box but he could only find the side-netting.
Just after the hour mark, the pair combined again. This time they fed Gary Roberts who hooked an effort goalwards only for Stech to push it away.
Meanwhile, at the other end, the visitors swung a cross in towards Paddy Madden but the striker could only head over the crossbar as arguably Yeovil’s best chance came and went.
Danny Hollands also made an appearance for the final twenty minutes and it was not long before he was involved. Fellow loanee Martin did well to hold up a long ball in the corner. The ball was worked across to Hollands who saw his left-footed shot deflected wide.
With stoppage time running out, Collins latched onto a long ball forward and advanced into the area. Cutting back onto his right, he curled the ball expertly beyond Stech and into the far corner.
Swindon Town: Wes Foderingham, Alan McCormack (Capt), Joe Devera, Darren Ward, Jay McEveley, Matt Ritchie, Simon Ferry, John Bostock, Gary Roberts, Andy Williams, James Collins
Substitutes: Leigh Bedwell, Troy Archibald-Henville, Raffaele De Vita, Danny Hollands, Chris Martin, Adam Rooney, Nathan Thompson
Yeovil Town: Marek Stech, Luke Ayling, Jame McAllister (Capt), Byron Webster, James Hayter, Sam Foley, Patrick Madden, Dan Burn, Korey Smith, Joe Edwards, Daniel Johnson
Substitutes: Gareth Stewart, Richard Hinds, Keanu Marsh-Brown, Gavin Williams, Reuben Reid, Curtis Haynes-Brown
