Swindon Town - 0
Leyton Orient - 1 (Cook '60)
Town have been beaten 1-0 by Leyton Orient, losing at home for the first time in a little over a year.
A second-half strike from Lee Cook was enough to stun The County Ground and send the visitors home with all three points.
Paolo Di Canio made five changes to the side that had lost at Oxford in midweek. Aden Flint, Alan Navarro, James Collins, Matt Ritchie and Tommy Miller were all recalled to the starting line-up.
On a hot and sticky day at SN1, the first half was a fairly pedestrian affair although the visitors had arguably the better of the chances. Kevin Lisbie squandered the best chance, heading wide after being picked out in the middle. His effort narrowly evaded the far post with Foderingham at full-stretch to try and reach it.
Town’s best chance meanwhile came through Raffaele De Vita. A neat passing move through midfield involving Miller and Ritchie eventually found its way across to De Vita who saw his volley blocked behind for a corner.
Dean Cox might also have done better for Orient but dragged his left-footed shot wide of Foderingham’s goal.
The second half began with Town on the front foot and attacking the Fastplant Town End. However, as in the first half, Town were seeing plenty of the ball around the 18-yard line but offering little in the way of attacking menace.
Matt Ritchie twice had efforts which tested the goalkeeper, one of which was nicely fashioned between him and Devera. Running onto a throw in from the full-back, Ritchie hit his volley cleanly but could only find the chest of Allsop.
As the clock ticked over the hour mark, the visitors took the lead. After squandering two good chances in the first half, they made their third clear-cut opportunity count in the second 45. Dean Cox fired in a low cross from the right that was missed by everyone along Town’s back line. Lee Cook sneaked in behind Devera and rifled home at the near post past Foderingham, to put the visitors in front.
Adam Rooney replaced James Collins five minutes later and was thrust immediately into the action. In a game of very few chances for the Town, he too had an opportunity to score but could only scuff his shot wide under pressure from the covering defender.
As the seconds slipped away, Town became increasingly more desperate to find an equaliser. Perhaps the game and performance was summed up in one moment towards the end: the ball was worked over to Devera on the right. The defender took the pass and advanced into the area but elected to shoot, hitting the side-netting rather than picking out a red shirt in the middle.
After three defeats in a row, Town will be hoping to get back to winning ways next week when they make the long trip north to face Carlisle United.
Swindon Town: Wes Foderingham; Joe Devera, Aden Flint, Alan McCormack, Federico Bessone; Matt Ritchie, Alan Navarro (Ferry '51), Tommy Miller, Raffaele De Vita; James Collins (Rooney '65), Andy Williams
Substitutes: Leigh Bedwell, Darren Ward, Jay McEveley, Simon Ferry, John Bostock, Adam Rooney, Paul Benson
Leyton Orient: Ryan Allsop, Leon McSweeney, Gary Sawyer, Ben Chorley, Dean Cox, Anthony Griffith, Kevin Lisbie, Michael Symes, Lee Cook, Martin Rowlands
Substitutes: Charlie Grainger, Mathieu Baudry, Jimmy Smith, Marc Laird, Moses Odubajo, Affy Obafemi, Ryan Brunt
