Swindon Town moved up one place above Rotherham in League One after a solid performance against Walsall with Jamie Cureton earning the win with a superb 43rd minute strike, writes STFC Sports Reporter Adrian Smith.

Swindon lined up against one of Iffy Onuora's former clubs with Jamie Cureton recalled to the starting line-up along with Jack Smith as Town lined up in a 4-4-2 formation.  Former Town player Grant Smith was making his second appearance of the season after previously appearing for Bristol City back in November and there was a place on the substitutes bench for former Chippenham player James Constable.

The visitors started off looking the more lively of the two teams with Manchester United loanee Mads Timms firing in two useful looking shots in the first six minutes but only Jamie Cureton will know how he failed to score in the 10^th minute when he managed to ghost in behind the defence and head wide from a good cross by Ricky Shakes with the goal at his mercy.

Five minutes later a poor defensive clearance by visiting keeper Andy Oakes was nearly punished by Stefani Miglioranzi when he fired in a dipping shot from 30 yards which went narrowly wide over the bar with the keeper furiously backpedalling.  Jamie Cureton also tried his luck with a curling shot from the edge of the area after evading the challenge of two defenders but the ball went just wide.

The referee Darren Deadman angered home fans in the 17^th minute when he ignored a blatant foul on Jamie Cureton and allowed play to continue.

Just over a minute later Ricky Shakes did well to trick his way down the right wing and send over a cross to the far post which was headed goalwards by Lee Peacock but the keeper Oakes managed to smother the danger and shortly afterwards Cureton delayed shooting a fraction too long which allowed a defender to parry his shot.

Midway through the half Stefani Miglioranzi did well to spread himself wide to stop a powerful shot from twenty yards by Grant Smith and the danger was cleared.  Shortly afterwards Aaron Brown showed his defensive qualities with a saving tackle on Alex Nichols who was charging towards goal.

Ricky Shakes almost opened the scoring for Town in the 26^th minute when he received the ball on the right wing from Andy Gurney and the Town winger fired in a crisp low shot which went narrowly wide of the far post.

Lee Peacock wasted a good opportunity for the Robins when Shakes laid the ball off to him on the edge of the area but Peacock was unable to repeat his exploits from the Bournemouth match and he fired in a first time shot which went wide when he could have taken a couple more paces forward with the benefit of hindsight.

Jamie Cureton again did well to ghost behind the defence but he was denied in a one-on-one situation by Andy Oakes who did well to smother the shot by Cureton at the expense of a corner.   The resulting corner saw a scramble in the visitors area before the ball was cleared long upfield and the visitors were awarded a free-kick for a petty foul in midfield. The kick was taken short by Grant Smith to Daniel Fox who sent a piledriver shot in which Rhys Evans did well to tip over for a corner which was cleared.

The visitors were awarded a free-kick near the corner flag by the Arkells Stand for a powder puff challenge by Brown with five minutes of the half remaining. The ball was whipped in by Fox but the danger was cleared long before one of the visiting defenders sent a long ball forward which saw an attacking player penalised for offside.

Two minutes before half time Swindon took a deserved lead when a through ball from Andy Gurney into the box was well controlled by Jamie Cureton before he fired in a superb volley from the edge of the area which flew across goal and into the net over the despairing dive of Oakes.  The goal understandably lifted the atmosphere around the County Ground after the home side had dominated the half without being able to find the net.

The referee Darren Deadman opened his yellow card account when he cautioned Sean O'Hanlon for a foul shortly before half time and Town fans would have been hoping that there would not be a repeat of the same referee's last performance at the County Ground when he cautioned seven Town players in the match against Barnsley.  There was minimal time for the visitors to attack before the half time whistle was blown and the Town squad left to a good round of applause in appreciation of a good effort by the Robins players.

Half-Time: Swindon Town 1 Walsall 0

Town were straight on the attack from the start of the second half with Jamie Cureton troubling the opposing defence from a long ball forward and he narrowly missed connecting with the loose ball after a mix-up involving  two defenders.

On 49 minutes Andy Nicholas was guilty of some sloppy defending when he allowed himself to be dispossessed on the edge of his own 6 yard box by Mads Timm who fired in a shot from an acute angle which struck the bar and the ball rebounded to Kevin James who repeated the feat of hitting the bar and the danger was eventually cleared.

Stefani Miglioranzi was substituted in the 51^st minute by Charlie Comyn-Platt after the Town midfielder had failed to recover properly from a knock in the first half.

Town's second corner of the match saw the goalkeeper punch clear and Charlie Comyn-Platt was clearly pulled back by an opponent but the referee saw nothing wrong with the challenge and allowed play to continue.

Jamie Cureton almost doubled Town's lead with a superb dipping shot from the edge of the area which was goalbound until Oakes amazingly  pushed over for for a corner in the 56^th minute just as the home fans got ready to celebrate.

Ricky Shakes tested the reflexes of keeper Oakes with a powerful shot from thirty or so yards but the stopper was able to catch the bal without too much difficulty in the 59^th minute. One minute later Lee Peacock also tried a shot from distance but his effort was high and wide.

The visitors pushed forward and were awarded a corner in the 61^st minute which Rhys Evans elected to punch under pressure and the resulting shot by Timms was cleared by a Town defender.

Aaron Brown went agonisingly close for Town after tricking his way past several defenders before firing in a shot across goal which went inches wide of the far post in the 64^th minute. Seconds later former Town triallist James Constable replaced Mark Wright and he would have been keen to make an impression on his return to the County Ground.

Paul Smith replaced Andy Gurney midway through the second half and within a minute, Ricky Shakes added to his increasing tally of shots with an effort from close range which keeper Oakes tipped round the post.  Town had two corners in quick succession but were unable to get a clear shot on goal before Oakes gratefully took possession of the ball.

The substitute Constable was only a stud's width away from making himself the most unpopular person in Wiltshire when he sneaked in behind the Town defence and narrowly avoided making contact with the ball in front of goal in the 73rd minute.

Lee Peacock made way for new Town signing Trevor Benjamin with fifteen minutes of the half remaining and Swindon continued to push forward and Benjamin did well to earn a corner for his new employers. However the resulting cross saw the keeper fouled by a couple of Town forwards and the momentum was lost for Iffy Onuora's team.

Walsall manager Paul Merson made his second substitution of the match when he replaced midfielder Michael Standing with another midfielder Simon Osborn in the 81^st minute.

Town were being pegged back by Walsall and were not helped by a series of aimless defensive clearances played straight to opposing players which annoyed the Wiltshire faithful as the match porgressed but eventually Benjamin raced forward in attack and fired in a low shot which was easily saved by Oakes.

The Town players seemed happy to sit back deep and let Walsall attack despite the home side's slender lead and it took several attempts to clear the ball again after some nervy defending. 

Finally Ricky Shakes decided to inject some creativity into Town's play with a tricky run which culminated in two corners for Town. Anthony Gerrard was cautioned for failing to retreat 10 yards at a corner but Town seemed to run out of ideas and eventually the ball was cleared.

Shakes was featuring in most of Town's play as the match entered two minutes of added time and thankfully the visitors were unable to threaten before the final whistle was blown.

The Town squad left the pitch to a good round of applause after a fine win sealed by an outstanding goal by Jamie Cureton and so Swindon have finally won a league game against Walsall for the first time since November 1988 and moved another place towards safety.

Full Time: Swindon Town 1 Walsall 0