Form Guide… 

8th placed Swindon have had two weeks without a match since a 1-0 defeat at Notts County, making it two successive 1-0 losses. In the League One form guide, Swindon are ranked 8th, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in 6 matches. At the County Ground, Town have a poor record of 1 win, 3 draws and 2 defeats in 6 games.

2nd placed Doncaster Rovers have won their previous 4 matches in League One. Rovers have played two cup games in the past week – a 3-1 defeat by Oldham in the FA Cup 2nd Round was followed with a penalty defeat against Crewe in the JPT.  Away from the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster are the division’s form side, unbeaten in 8 games and haven’t failed to score in 6.

Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk Head-to-Head…

In all League, FA Cup and Football League competitions, Town have faced Doncaster Rovers on 18 occasions, winning 3, drawing 8 and defeated 7 times; scoring 17 and conceding 24.

At the County Ground, Swindon have a record of 3 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats, scoring 13 and conceding 11.

Town were beaten 2-1 by Doncaster on our previous meeting at the County Ground on 3rd November 2007 in League One. Doncaster followed this up with a 2-0 win at home in April 2008.

Doncaster have only failed to score against Swindon twice and are on a run of 10 games in a row when scoring.

The Stats…

Defence					Attack
	STFC (Hosts)	r	Donny (Away)	r		STFC (Hosts)	r	Donny (Away)	r
Shots Against Per Game	6.2	1	11	10	Shots For Per Game	9.9	18	7.6	23
% Shots Against on Target	37.1%	3	42.7%	3	% Shots For on Target	41.4%	22	52.6%	10
% Save Rate	69.6%	15	87.2%	1	% Strike Rate	15.2%	4	22.4%	1
Corners Against Per Game	3.9	4	8.9	24	Corners Won Per Game	6.7	7	2.8	24
Possession Conceded	51.1%	22	53.7%	20	Possession Won	47.9%	22	46.3%	20
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

Town remain strongest in defence as hosts with a ranking of 6th in League One, compared to 19th most efficient in attack.

The Donny rankings are fascinating. Despite conceding an average of 53.7% of possession, 8.9 corners per game and a low 7.6 shots per game – ranked 20th, 24th and 23rd respectively of all sides playing away – they are the undisputed best on the road in League One after securing 23 points from a possible 30.

The reasons for their superb away form are there for all to see. 87.2% of all shots against on target are saved – ranked 1st – equates to just 6 conceded on their travels this season. Also, a magnificent strike rate of 22.4% – ranked 1st – has seen Rovers hit 17 goals.

These two key strengths are also potential weaknesses for Town to exploit on Saturday, however given that Doncaster have thrived with relatively so few shots per game, Paolo Di Canio will need to organise his back line more effectively to ensure they are as resilient against the division’s finest.

SCORED	1-15	16-30	31-45	45+	46-60	61-75	76-90	90+
STFC (as hosts)	1	5	3	0	0	2	3	1
Donny (away)	4	4	0	0	3	2	2	2

Swindon are slow starters however then find their feet to score 8 goals between 16-45 minutes. Town have still yet to score in the first 15 minutes after half time as hosts.

Donny have scored in the opening 30 minutes in 3 of their previous 4 games home or away.

CONCEDED	1-15	16-30	31-45	45+	46-60	61-75	76-90	90+
STFC (as hosts)	1	0	2	0	3	1	0	0
Donny (away)	0	1	0	0	1	2	2	0

Donny have only conceded once in ten League One away games during the first half!

My prediction… 

Despite the usual optimism of a Swindon win…this is going to be a 1-1 draw.

Come on You Reds!