Five things we learned as Swindon Town earn a draw at Accrington

The 2-2 draw makes it just one loss from four games under Ian Holloway.

Here are five noteworthy points that we noted from the draw at the Wham Stadium.

Harry Smith cannot stop scoring

Another goal for Swindon, another goal for Harry Smith. He’s got a goal contribution in every game he’s appeared in since the red card at Barrow but Town are still yet to win in a game that he’s scored in. He is one of the only goal threats in the side at the moment and is playing a huge part in getting points for the Robins.

Town’s set piece woes

A struggle for the whole season has been Swindon's defending from set pieces, and the difficulty was on display again in the draw. Not only were both of Accrington’s goals from those scenarios, but Town found it hard to defend them throughout and it could have easily been defeat in those chances were converted.

It was general balls in the air along with the marking aspect that was tough to deal with, as many crosses were floated in by John Doolan’s side as they knew it was a weakness.

Kilkenny needed to start the game

The reason for the star midfielder not starting was down to the manager wanting Daniel Butterworth and Sean McGurk on the pitch at the same time, but he was a huge miss. Whilst his role might go under the radar, he was the best player on the pitch in the loss to MK Dons and is crucial to the side being strong in the middle. Swindon lacked his presence in the middle as a trio of Nnamdi Ofoborh, Joel Cotterill and Sean McGurk didn’t seem to work but when the Irishman was introduced as a substitute with 20 minutes to go, he changed the game for the whole team. He put in a good shift himself, winning multiple duels across the pitch and was what Holloway’s team needed from the start.

Ofoborh challenges for the ball in the air (Image: Callum Knowles)

Butterworth as wing-back wasn’t the answer and the shift into midfield suited him more

The vision for this choice was clear and you can see why Holloway chose it, but it didn’t work. The plan was to have an attacking player out wide who could drive into the midfield and not have to offer too much defensively with the three switching to a back four when having to defend. George Cox starting there in a more traditional wingback position would have been more efficient.

When he was shifted into the midfield alongside Ofoborh, it worked better. The hosts tended to drop back when out of possession and left room in the midfield which meant that Swindon could be creative in the middle thanks to Butterworth and he could get the ball into key positions, or score himself!

Glatzel and Smith is the team’s best strike partnership

Fans were able to witness the pairing of Glatzel and Smith in the trip to Lancashire, and whilst it was a quiet display at times, there were glimpses to show that it is the best striker duo that is available at the club. What the tall striker offers is obvious, with good hold up play and aerial ability, but he needs the right character beside him and Glatzel is that player.

The former Liverpool forward has the dribbling ability, pace and finishing which is exactly what is needed to go alongside Smith. We have seen Kabongo Tshimanga and Aaron Drinan as two players who have partnered up with the ex-Sutton man but whilst they do offer something different, they don’t provide the team with a cutting-edge like Glatzel.