FOREST GREEN ROVERS 0
SWINDON TOWN 4 (Archibald-Henville '16, Caddis PEN '23, Roberts '66, Ferry '81)
Swindon put four goals past Forest Green Rovers without reply as they continued their preparations for the new season.
New boys Troy Archibald-Henville and Gary Roberts notched a goal each either side of Paul Caddis's penalty before Simon Ferry capped a comfortable Town performance with a goal of his own.
Town started brightly with both Paul Caddis and Matt Ritchie registering efforts off target. Forest Green had their own effort that curled wide of goal before the visitors took the lead. Alan Navarro's deep corner from the Town left was helped back into the six-yard box by Tommy Miller. Troy Archibald-Henville was on hand to flick the ball into the far corner past the despairing dive of former STFC goalkeeper Matt Bulman.
Shortly afterwards, with Town looking to move through the gears, Paul Benson's smart turn and shot was well held by Bulman.
Andy Williams then received the ball in the right hand channel of the area, took a touch away from the covering Paul Green and was caught by the defender's outstretched leg. The resultant penalty was sidefooted home by skipper Caddis, putting the ball low to Bulman's left via a touch from the diving goalkeeper. Ritchie might have done a lot better with a chance just ten minutes before the break. Williams' ball in from the left picked out the winger on the edge of the area, but Town's number ten could only thrash at fresh air as the bouncing ball sailed past him before being hacked clear.
Five minutes later, Ritchie came so close to adding a third to Town's tally with a superb effort. Taking a bouncing ball on his chest 25 yards from goal, he brought the ball under his spell and unleashed a thunderous volley seemingly all in one movement. He would have found the top corner had it not been for an acrobatic save from Bulman. In stoppage time, Forest Green's Ben Wright floated a free-kick narrowly wide of Foderingham's right-hand post.
With both sides making changes at half time, it was the hosts who came out on the front foot. Then, as both teams looked to have settled down for the second period, Gary Roberts managed to dance through a number of challenges with the ball eventually coming to substitute James Collins who fired wide. Williams also missed the target with a header.
At the other end, Omar Koroma thumped a free header over the bar after being picked out from a corner. On 67 minutes it was 3-0. Substitute Luke Rooney floated a cross over for Roberts to slide home at the far post.
Moments later it might have been four but Collins squandered a good opportunity when he skewed wide after a quick break out of defence. With ten minutes to play, the Town fans that had made the trip witnessed a real rarity when Simon Ferry headed home Swindon's fourth of the evening: the midfielder diverting a corner past Bulman.
Swindon Town: Wes Foderingham(Bedwell '89); Paul Caddis(Thompson N '85), Troy Archibald-Henville(Devera '57), Alan McCormack(Flint '81), Jay McEveley(Smith '89); Matt Ritchie(Rooney '56), Tommy Miller(Risser '85), Alan Navarro(Ferry '65), Gary Roberts(De Vita '67); Andy Williams(Storey '81), Paul Benson (Collins '46)
Substitutes not used: -
Forest Green Rovers: Matt Bulman; Jared Hodgkiss, Ali Bangura, Chris Stokes, Yan Klukowski, Reece Styche, Magno Viera, Kieron Forbes, Eddie Oshodi, Ben Wright, Paul Green
Substitutes: Sam Russell (GK), Jamie Turley, Chris Todd, Omar Koroma, Jamie Collins, Matty Taylor, Ed Asafu Adjaye, Phil Marsh, James Rowe, James Norwoow
Referee: Brendan Malone
Attendance: 1,517 (731 from Town)
