Form Guide… 

11th placed Swindon are on a run of 3 games without a victory, with only 1 goal scored in that run.

Away from the County Ground in the League, Town are without a win in 5 games, their last victory being a 1-0 defeat of Morecambe on 6th April.

Carlisle United are sitting just behind Swindon in 12th. United have a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat at Brunton Park this campaign.

Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk Head-to-Head…

In all League, FA Cup and Football League competitions, Town have faced Carlisle United on 38 occasions, winning 11, drawing 18 and defeated 9 times; scoring 44 and conceding 43.

At Brunton Park, Swindon have 3 wins, 8 draws and 8 defeats, scoring 16 and conceding 28.

It took Town 38 years and until the 14th attempt to win in Carlisle. The 3-0 victory on the 2nd May 1987 in Division Three ensured Town finished in the Play-Offs, which we would eventually beat Gillingham in the final replay.

Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk History Book…

When Carlisle were marooned at the bottom of the entire Football League in 1999, without a fit goalkeeper on their books, they were allowed to sign Jimmy Glass from Swindon on an emergency loan deal. Needing a win on their final game against Plymouth to avoid relegation from the league, Glass went upfield for a corner – and slammed home the winning goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to preserve the Cumbrian’s league status.

Though Glass’ football career was short-lived after the goal, it was voted as the 72nd greatest sporting moment in history on a Channel 4 programme, and the 7th most important goal in football history in The Times newspaper. Carlisle chairman Michael Knighton was quoted as saying, “I believe in a Methuselah, Frankenstein, alien beings, flying saucers and the hand of God. But, most of all, I believe in on-loan goalkeepers from Swindon who score goals in the dying seconds.”

All this came some fifty years after Carlisle and Swindon first met, in the FA Cup competition of 1949/50, Swindon made the long trip north to Brunton Park in the Second Round. It wasn’t a happy trip – United winning by two goals to nil. The next cup meeting came in January 1984, when Fourth Division Town went north again to meet their Second Division counterparts, and upset them by drawing 1-1. In the replay at the County Ground, the Town pulled off a shock, winning by three goals to one.

The Return of the Stats!

Defence					Attack
	Utd  (Hosts)	r	STFC (Away)	r		Utd  (Hosts)	r	STFC     (Away)	r
Shots Against Per Game	9	10	10.5	11	Shots For Per Game	8	20	6	22
% Shots Against on Target	39%	7	38%	3	% Shots For on Target	44%	15	75%	1
% Save Rate	28.6%	24	50%	22	% Strike Rate	25%	3	8.3%	15
Corners Against Per Game	6	17	4.5	6	Corners Won Per Game	2	23	8	1
Possession Conceded	58%	24	48.5%	5	Possession Won	42%	24	51.5%	5
R = rank: The ranking shown for each measure indicates the efficiency of the sides against the rest of the division as either hosts or the away side | 1 equals the best and 24 is the worst | TheWashbag.com

Away from home Town have the third worst save rate in League One. Fortunately we face Carlisle who’ve the worst save rate as hosts… Goals galore?

We’ve yet to really dominate matches by maintaining possession this campaign, however with Carlisle giving away the greatest share of any as hosts can Swindon capitalise?

SCORED	1-15	16-30	31-45	45+	46-60	61-75	76-90	90+
Carlisle (as hosts)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
STFC (away)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

Not much to go on at this early stage in the season with both teams scoring few goals…

CONCEDED	1-15	16-30	31-45	45+	46-60	61-75	76-90	90+
Carlisle (as hosts)	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	1
STFC (away)	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0

Carlisle are weakest at the start and end of the 90 minutes. Town were awful last time our at Preston with 2 goals conceded in the opening 15 minutes.

My prediction… 

I normally go for a 2-0 Swindon victory, but on reflection this will be a 1-1 draw.

Come on You Reds!