Tranmere Rovers FC 1 Swindon 3

Feb 20 2013

SWINDON TOWN may be without a  manager, but they still possess one of the  best squads in League One – a fact they  underlined in some style at Prenton Park  last night as Tranmere Rovers’ slide down  the table continued.

Ronnie Moore’s depleted team – ravaged  by injury and suspension problems – fell to  a fourth defeat on the spin and now occupy  the final play-off spot in the division,  having spent so much of the season at the  summit.

The new leaders are manager-less  Swindon, who climbed from sixth to first  on the back of last night’s victory. Paolo Di  Canio quit as Robins boss on Monday –  unhappy with issues relating to a proposed  takeover of the club – but caretaker  manager Fabrizio Piccareta ensured there  was a seamless transition and Swindon  were deserving of the three points last  night.

A nervy opening 45 minutes from the  home side produced a catalogue of chances  for Swindon – none of which were taken.

Striker James Collins tested home  keeper Owain Fon Williams twice in the  early stages. The Welshman dived low to  his left to keep out a sixth-minute effort  from Collins before saving with his legs  from the same player soon after.

The visitors continued to play a more  fluid brand of football and they came  within inches of taking the lead in the 22nd  minute. A long-range drive by Tommy  Miller was deflected into the path of Miles  Storey, who poked the ball narrowly wide  from eight yards under pressure from Fon  Williams.

The Rovers keeper collided with  defender Donervorn Daniels a minute  later, leaving both players in a tangle on the  ground while the loose ball fell to the feet of  Collins. The Swindon striker had the whole  goal to aim at, but Ash Taylor had  positioned himself on the line and his  presence was enough to force Collins into  scuffing the ball wide.

The rest of the half followed a similar  pattern, Swindon moving the ball  effectively while Tranmere’s threat as an  attacking force was limited.

The game’s next chance fell to the ever  dangerous Collins. But Fon Williams  pulled off a fine reflex save to deny the  former Shrewsbury Town forward after he  turned inside on his left foot and let fly from  12 yards.

Having spent so much of the first period  on the back foot, the hosts ended it with a  couple of near misses, Cole Stockton  blasting over a volley from long range  before directing a header wide from a Max  Power cross.

Swindon’s first-half display will surely  have impressed the watching Mike Newell,  who has been linked to the vacant manager’s  position at the County Ground and was among the Prenton Park  crowd last night.

The visitors started the second period  at lightning speed – and it was too much  for Rovers. The overworked Fon Williams  had already made a point-blank save to  deny Andy Williams before Collins  finally grabbed the goal he had been  threatening to score all evening.