- Swindon have three wins from four in pre-season
- Eastleigh have never lost in six matches against Town
Goal. Eastleigh 1 (Shade 26') Swindon 0
25 - Not a bad effort from Munroe. He gets it up and over the wall, but does not quite have the dip and the ball lands on the roof of the net.
[0-0]
24 - Snowdon forces Harris into a sloppy pass back to Pierre. Smith is able to intercept and chops away from the defender, only for his trailing leg to bring him down right on the edge of the box. Oldaker and Munroe over the free kick.
[0-0]
22 - Eastleigh have a few set pieces in a row and the fans beckon Cousins to shoot from outside the box. He horribly scythes it towards the corner flag.
[0-0]
21 - Mabete has looked a bit sheepish so far. Free runners from Eastleigh have unsettled him and he has rushed a few clearances when he had more time.
[0-0]
18 - Oldaker tries a free kick from 35 yards out. He gets some nice curl on it, but the ball goes into the stand behind the goal.
[0-0]
17 - Townsend in action for the first time. A terrific passage of play sees Town playing one-touch football all over the pitch before Smith laid one off for Nichols to curl from outside the area. The goalkeeper was well-positioned, but lovely play to create the opening.
[0-0]
14 - McCallum's long throw meets Cousins at the far post, but he flicks one wide.
[0-0]
13 - It looks like Eastleigh have someone with a long throw. Although it is their big striker McCallum.
[0-0]
11 - Shade gets to a long ball ahead of Ball and manages to gey beyond him in the corner. He lays the ball to Lundstram, but a firm challenge from Oldaker sees the ball go behind for a goal kick.
[0-0]
10 - No real goalmouth action so far. Swindon have had a few decent free kicks and passages of play, but without making Townsend do anything. At the other end, Shade has got on the ball a few times, but without creating.
[0-0]
3 - Only one of the officials is wearing a proper ref's top, and that makes me uneasy. Especially as it is the assistant on the far side.
[0-0]
1 - Tom Nichols gets the game underway with Swindon defending the goal in front of their away following in the first half.
[0-0]
Here come the players.
The teenagers have a drum! God have mercy on the travelling Swindon fans.
I don't know what regular Eastleigh attendances are like, but the main stand I am in has sold rather well. There is a decent smattering of Town fans in the corner as well.
I spoke too soon on the mingling, I have just spotted some teenagers in Stone Island, and I think a strict cordon will be necessary.
Swindon will be playing 352 today. In the shape drills, Kilkenny, Oldaker, and Nichols are playing as the midfield three behind Smith and Tabor. Clarke is in the back three.
2:34pm Sat 26 Jul 25
Southampton red says
Re: mingling, the away end has a bar being happily shared by home fans and Swindonians. But we weren’t allowed in the club bar at the other end today! No idea why, there’s no hostility here today.
Maybe you should start fighting some locals just to make it all worth it. I will pile in if necessary.
Finley Munroe getting rid of some competition by kicking Joe Snowdon in the shins during the warm-up. That's the kind of Emile Heskey hustle we are looking for.
Another major update is that Connor Ripley is now a skinhead. A terrific decision to make himself even more imposing to opposing players.
Tyrese "O Fenomeno" Shade is playing for Eastleigh today. He left Town last summer, and Lewis Ward, Paul Glatzel, and Aaron Drinan are the only members of today's squad he played with.
Another sign that Minturn could be on his way is that Billy Bodin was wearing the #31 training top when I interviewed him on Wednesday, and is wearing it on his shirt today. Minturn is being Cowmeadow'd.
With the season starting next week, now would be a good time to get in on this. I'm no accountant, but it sounds like free money to me.
I have just laid eyes on Wilson-Brown for the first time and he is a big unit. Mabete has looked huge all summer and he is just as broad and tall as him.
2:02pm Sat 26 Jul 25
Dirk Diggle says
Will Wright?
A good spot! I would imagine that is him being rested like Delaney was last week, but one to ask afterwards.
Here is my prediction for how Town will line-up. I guess all the attackers played last week.
Ripley
Clarke Ball Mabete
Snowdon Nichols Oldaker Kilkenny Munroe
Tabor Smith
No Sinclair for Swindon (which feels telling) and, as mentioned earlier, no Minturn (which feels even more telling).
Eastleigh XI:
Townsend, Brindley, Fernandez, Eweka, Evans, McCallum, Shade, Lundstram, Cousins, Harris, Pierre.
Subs: Bristow, Jones, Taylor, Blair, Michel, Cole, Killick, Waruih, Ingram, Ceesay, Trialist A, Underhill.
Swindon Town XI:
Ripley, Mabete, Ball, Nichols, Clarke, Smith, Tabor, Kilkenny, Snowdon, Munroe, Oldaker.
Subs: Ward, Delaney, Glatzel, Butterworth, Wilson-Brown, Ameen, Drinan, Bodin, Kirkman, Mitchell.
Ian Holloway is currently mogging everyone by doing keepy-uppies like he is being unveiled at the Bernabeu.
They have done this before, but Eastleigh have cordoned off a little away end for the Swindon fans. Surely in pre-season, people can just mingle? A quick look across and I don't think the hoodlums have come down for this friendly.
The three friendlies Swindon have played here in the last three summers, I have been at two, which were the 1-0 defeats. Michael Flynn managed a 2-2 draw in the other, with Austin and Khan getting the goals. Getting a win here would be another sign that things could be different.
We also have a new player this morning. Thomas Wilson-Brown has arrived on loan from Leicester. Injury saw him miss out on playing for Kilmarnock last season, but he is held in high regard at the King Power and solves the left-footed problem at the back.
There are a few other absences today. Joel McGregor, Harrison Minturn, Jaxon Brown, George Alston, and Dani Gonzalez are all playing with the under-18s today. McGregor aside (who is building up his fitness), that would be a pretty clear sign they are not in the plans for the season.
1:31pm Sat 26 Jul 25
Gozza57 says
One question. Is Harry there?
Harry has left Swindon... so he can travel to Hampshire and be here for the match.
Good afternoon everyone and greetings from Eastleigh. Swindon are down to their final friendly of pre-season, and it is what has become the big rivalry. Town have been here for the past few years and never won, along with their FA Cup exit back in 2016. It would be a more positive sign if that can change this afternoon.
Pre-season, how about one more for the road?
