Town make the trip up to Northampton Town's Sixfields stadium tomorrow, with their hosts in the kind of turmoil that we're all familiar with.
On Tuesday night - after a 3-1 home defeat against Blackpool - manager Kevin Wilson was given his marching orders. It's early in the season to be getting rid of your manager, as BBC Sport points out in an alarming piece, and there's a lot of sympathy for Wilson from the fans, who reckon the players haven't pulled their fingers out this season.
But they also all agree that a sacking was the almost inevitable outcome of a disastrous start to the season which saw the Cobblers lose eight of their ten opening games. They currently lie second from bottom of the division and, given they finished only two places better than us last season, must be wondering where the form to move up the table is going to come from.
Kevan Broadhurst, a former assistant manager of the club, is the man who faces the challenge for now, as takes charge of affairs on a caretaker basis for the next month. He is calling their fixtures over the next few weeks a "baptism of fire" - they meet three ex-Division one sides, starting with Town, and also have a local derby.
"I think that if fans and the Board can see an improvement in team shape, discipline and performance then it will help my case to get the job on a permanent basis," he tells the Cobblers' official website. That would suggest he's less concerned with points than performances, but we all know that teams under new management try that little bit harder. That could make it a tricky contest for Swindon, as Roy Evans and midweek hero Paul Edwards both confirm in today's Adver.
But if our lads get the attitude right, the form book, as well as our respective league positions, suggest we should take all three points. Town managed to win the corresponding fixture 1-0 last year with a strike from Gary Alexander - Ian Woan got the goal in a 1-1 draw at the County Ground in April.
On the team news front, Danny Invincible is likely to partner Graz up front after both scored midweek - Danny, in particular, was warmly praised by Evans for his performance. At the back, a clean sheet on Tuesday night will have done no harm to Alan Reeves chances of keeping a fit-again Neil Ruddock out the side. But last week's 4-0 drubbing away to Chesterfield is still a little fresh in the mind, and Reeves distribution still leaves a lot to be desired. I suspect Razor will line up from the start tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I'm distressed to report that there is a Matty Hewlett interview in the paper tonight in which he fails to promise to score. It's a disgusting break with Friday lunchtime tradition - as much a part of Friday as fish for supper - and I'll be writing in to demand a resumption of Matty's famous goal vows forthwith.
For those of you travelling by car (quite a few, I'd imagine, as the Supporters' Club is taking only two buses, amazingly) the good news is that Sixfields is easy to get to off the M1 - you'll find instructions here.

OK, it's time to confess. I'm feeling slightly guilty about comments I made regarding Paul Edwards (Town's Edgar Davids, for those who didn't read yesterday's entry) earlier in the season. I speculated that the winger might have simply been signed because he kicked a ball with his left foot, rather than because he was any good. I'm thinking I might have to take those words, made in haste, back.
Now, as Roy Evans points out today, the lad's only 21, and he's only started three games as a professional footballer.
But it's becoming clear that Edwards' rise from the depths of footballing obscurity (he couldn't find a non-league club to sign for in the summer, after all) to the professional game - and instant cult status after his display on Tuesday - is the kind of things dreams are made of.
“I am still in a bit of a daze, to be honest," he tells tonight's Adver. "It is hard to describe just what coming to this club has meant to me. It is incredible what someone showing faith and belief in you can do. That’s what Roy Evans has done for me," he says.
And if you're still in doubt as to how far Edwards has stepped up in just a few months, read Jimmy Frazer's account of his heartbreak at being rejected as a youngster by Steve McMahon, and of his struggle at making it in the professional game.
It's great to see Roy Evans not just restarting becalmed careers (Bobby Howe) but also creating new ones for players like Edwards. Even if it means us frustrated Sunday morning players have to eat our words.

Swindon 2 High-flying Brentford 0
Ah, my only Swindon, you make me happy when skies are grey. What, with Bobby Howe's sexy football and an inquiry launched today into whether or not the so-called "Paul Edwards" chap we have at left wing-back is, in fact, Edgar Davids, our universe is happily back upside down again. Yes, Town are winning games against high-flying teams (not just the diddly ones at the bottom of the table), and we barely know what to do with ourselves.
Today's Adver match report points out our two goals - one long range thunderbolt from Danny Invincible in 36 minutes and a smart chip from Graz in the second half - were both down to defensive blunders by the Bees. Meanwhile Brentford fans are saying their bubble burst and taking it all quite calmly, despite falling to sixth place.
But that doesn't fit the script of over-the-top giddy delight which Swindonlog's decided to adopt for the day, so let's point out a few truths: the visitors arrived at the County Ground undefeated this season, second in the division and with one of the best defences in the league (lost just six in eight games). The fact they were making mistakes against us shows what a decent job the Town players side were doing in forcing matters. The fact we've got two strikers capable of finishing off the resultant chances should be a cause for celebration the whole Town over.
Better still, our defense isn't looking too bad either, if you deny Saturday's horror show at Chesterfield ever happened. As Roy Evans notes, last night was our sixth clean sheet of the season. And with Reeves in the side, folks.
There were some moans from last night - young winger David Duke is still struggling and missed a few glaring chances - but at least he's able to make mistakes while the side is winning.
And, frankly, we're not going to let that piss on our parade: when you're a Swindon fan you've got to take every chance you get to gloat. Go to it, Townies.

Links... BBC report here...
And the TEAMtalk one here.

High-flying Brentford visit the County Ground tonight undefeated so far in their division two campaign, and full of confidence. The Bees feel they were unlucky to be held to a 2-2 draw with Oldham on Saturday, despite Martin Rowlands being sent off only eight minutes after he came on as a substitute. In particular, Brentford fans were aggrieved by the ref turning down a penalty after the Oldham keeper came out for a high ball and floored Mark Williams with a punch to the face.
Nursing that sense of injustice, and probably a black eye or two, Brentford will be making the short trip up the M4 aiming to re-start their winning ways with a victory tonight. Lloyd Owusu says he wants his side to come out with all guns blazing, and do enough early on to earn all three points.
That would maintain their early form, surprising given their 14th position finish last season and subsequent lack of transfer activity. Some pundits say Steve Coppell is too good a manager to be in the second division - he won a lot of admirers for his work at Crystal Palace - and his ability certainly seems to be showing through in Brentford's form.
Roy Evans, who has picked the same squad as on Saturday, will be needing all the players to stay on the pitch this time round - as the Adver points out today, Bart Gremink was sent off in the corresponding fixture last season, and Alan Reeves had to go in goal. The first thing he did was pick the ball out the net, and Brentford went on to record a 3-2 away win.
But there is hope. Matt Heywood got his first goal for Town away to Brentford in March, when we won 1-0. He points out that, after Saturday's dire performance, "knowing us we'll probably go and beat Brentford 4-0". Let's hope a true word was spoken in jest there, then.

-- The home game against Wrexham, planned for Saturday 6 October, has been postponed "because of Wrexham's international obligations".

"In a town famous for its crooked spire, the visitors put together a thoroughly wonky display and ended the match looking thoroughly dejected," says today's Adver, which documents how David Reeves - our Alan's twin - spectacularly broke a tradition of not scoring against his brother's side.
You'll find a picture of the two next to the Adver's reaction piece although, because David has his back to us, we're spared the sight of the huge grin that must be across his face as he shakes his brother's hand at the end of the match. Alan's face is rather less sunny, and his account of the Saturday evening suggests he found it just a little uncomfortable. And probably not just for him, either - you can find assorted images of Town players looking pissed off here.
Roy Evans refuses to blame complacency for the second half collapse, so reminiscent of last year's disappointments, and says he won't be ringing the changes for Brentford's visit to the County Ground tomorrow. That's probably not because he's happy keeping faith with his starting 11 on Saturday - as he acknowledges, the squad is not big enough to be able to swap things around much.
But, despite Evans' insistences, the players were all talking after the match of how the game has its "downs as well as ups", and the need for them to "move on" and "forget this as quickly as possible". I'd prefer they didn't - bad losers, who dwell on their defeats and get upset over them - always seem to make better footballers. Look at Di Canio's comments last week, or Roy Keane/the Man U squad all the time. Chesterfield undoubtedly played well, but did they play that well, or did we just make them look like world-beaters in that second 45?
Aside from questions of attitude, Tuesday's game would be a worry anyway - Brentford are second from top, and haven't lost this season. Bouncing back from this result to get anything at all against Brentford would be an achievement indeed. Perhaps the best thing Evans could do, in the circumstances, is try going to a 4-4-2 formation - when Matthew Heywood is slated for his performance (dragged wide too often, presumably to fill in for one of those wing-backs we don't have), it's time to consider change. IMHO, we're simply not going to get the best from these players without a change of formation.

-- At least one Swindon player appears to be scoring regularly. You can find an account of Neil Ruddock's extra-marital efforts here, if that's what floats your boat.

Chesterfield 4 Swindon 0
Typical Swindon Town. Build you up, then let you down... badly. This is our worst defeat since a 4-0 reverse away to Northampton Town last November - let's hope this doesn't herald a winter of discontent like last time. Maybe we - or the players - should have paid more attention to this soothsayer who posted something of a warning last night. Certainly, my heart sank this morning when I heard on Sky's Soccer AM that Chesterfield have had more shots on target this season than any other team in the league...

We're away to Colchester United in the first round of the LDV Vans trophy. Robinette has posted the entire draw on Rivals... I wonder why Hull gets a bye to the next round? Answers on a postcard...

The Bobby Howe Roadshow rolls on to Chesterfield this weekend, as Town look to extend our unbeaten run to five games. We got a good 2-0 away win at Port Vale midweek, and the form guide suggests we should do well at Saltergate.
The Spireites are, of course, newly promoted, and have suffered the trauma of investigations, docked points and the threat of going to the wall since the start of the year. They've not had a great start to this term - with no money to bring in players there was talk of a crisis as early as the start of this month, when they went down 1-0 to Peterborough at home.
Meanwhile portions of their ground were shut for redevelopment (the Saltergate experience is still a pretty primative one, I'm told) and they were racked with injury problems which deprived them of seven first team regulars.
But they are no mugs - it's easy to forget that, before the scandal blew up, this Chesterfield team was romping home to promotion and the division three championship title. A nine-point deduction denyed them that, although few Swindon Town fans would say they were treated harshly.
The fans are running Chesterfield now (see yesterday's entry to find out how Swindon fans are trying to bring some fan power to the County Ground) and have got their club back on an even keel, despite heavy debts and still being in administration. They're now in the process of their first ever elections for the Chesterfield Football Supporters Soceity, which appoints the football club board.
So we certainly wish them all the best for the season - after Saturday's game. For Town, Neil Ruddock and Sol Davies are still out with groin strains. That means Matty Heywood is likely to regain his starting place in defence. Alan Reeves is likely to face his twin brother, David, who is a Chesterfield striker (read the amazing story here - it was all news to me). The good news is, David has never scored against his brother.
Up front, Danny Invincible is likely to start again after his impressive performance and goal on Tuesday. Jo Kuffour may get a recall after being benched at Port Vale. But perhaps the goals will come from elsewhere... we all thought that after Tuesday night's strike, Matty Hewlett's weekly goal promise (exclusive to the Adver, every Friday) would end, but no! Long may this winning tradition continue...
For (very basic) instructions to Saltergate, try here.

Today we sit at a crossroads for our team. On the pitch, to cries of "Bobby Howe's sexy football", things are getting much much better. The desperate days of last season seem far away.
Off the field, however, our financial crisis is coming to the fore again.
A consortium, led by former chairman Clive Puffett and including ex-jockey Willie Carson, is to meet current chairman Danny Donegan to discuss their increasingly nasty struggle to run the club.
The consortium, for those who've been on the moon the last few months, wants to take over the club. Or, we should say, want to take over the club again, since most of its members were on the board in 2000 when the administrators were called in. They say they've got a million quid to put into the club, and boast among their number Town's majority shareholder, Sir Seton Wills.
In the hotseat at the moment is Donegan, who has won a few friends around Swindon through the none-too-mean feat of appointing a director of football and coach who appear to know exactly how to get Swindon winning and, even better, playing some good football too.
Donegan, not surprisingly, opposes the consortium as he says the 1999-2000 accounts, which have yet to be published, will not make happy reading when they come out. He says the consortium, by dint of their previous involvement in the club, are to blame. To confuse the matter further, it's not clear who controls the votes associated with the various shareholdings - it could be that Sir Seton has assigned the voting rights to Donegan, and so would be unable to remove the chairman despite owning most of the club's stock.
As we stand at this crossroads it's impossible to predict what happens next. We know the appalling track record of the consortium members, but then we're not totally convinced by current chairman Donegan. And we know the consortium is promising investment, which Donegan seems unwilling, or unable, to provide at the moment.
The only thing we're sure of is that we like what's happening on the pitch - and Donegan's good friends with Neil Ruddock. Could the chairman's departure upset the amazing progress of a previously very ordinary group of players? That's a big fear for many fans, and one reason why the support is split 50/50 on who should take over. Information is scarce, and being issued only in the guise of heavy propaganda.
In a sensible world, the two sides would come to some kind of agreement about proceeding together, bringing the extra cash in to stave off the continuing threat of financial collapse while maintaining a semblance of stability on the playing side. But this is football, and the undoubted clash of egos that is taking place makes a sensible resolution unlikely.
Against this troubled background, TrustSTFC's members met last night at the County Ground to review progress in the bid to create a powerful, club-independent supporters' group capable of buying influence at the very top of the club.
The need for TrustSTFC, and independent mutual fund set up by Town fans, becomes clearer by the day. The Trust is only five weeks old but already has attracted thousands of pounds in donations and donations of club shares, which means it will have a vote at any forthcoming AGM.
Trust members talked last night about bringing the two boardroom factions together for a public meeting, so we can all make our own minds up having heard both sides of the story. It would be as big a clash as the last time Oxford visited the County Ground…
But, thanks to the trust, there is something we can do rather than sit around like serfs waiting for the semi-rich and locally-famous to squabble it out, before throwing us the twisted remains of the family silver. We can join the trust, and back its crusade to get fans a louder voice in running the club.
If you haven't joined the trust, I'd urge you to go to the Trust website now and download the forms - it only costs £25 to sign up (and you get a cool share certificate and a plastic card for your money). Better, it's easily the most potent way for fans to take a stake in their club. Go on, go on, go on. You know you want to.

Town notched up another good away win last night, comfortably beating Port Vale 2-0 thanks to a wonder goal from Danny Invincible, and Matthew Hewlett's first strike for Town. The performance was so convincing we're even being described as "Impressive Swindon" - yes, that's us - and we rose to 9th, the highest we've been in division two since getting relgated last year.
Even more breathtaking, tonight's Adver reports that Swindon fans were happily singing "Bobby Howe's sexy football" by the end of the match, after another command performance from our new midfield maestro.
In fact, and let's be honest, it was a night of surprises. Matthew Heywood - a steady performer thus far for Town - was left on the bench in favour of Alan Reeves, while up front Jo Kuffour was also dropped, with Paul Edwards starting.
Evans said he was "resting" the two players, but we could assume the break also served as a little reminder that places in the team were not theirs by right. But Heywood was quickly back in the fold, after Neil Ruddock picked up a groin strain and had to go off in the first half. It was good to see that the reinclusion of Reeves did nothing to dent our new-found defensive soundness, and encouraging to hear that Edwards had an impressive full debut.
Meanwhile, talk is of Danny scoring one of the goals of the season, gathering the ball just inside the Vale half before slaloming past four defenders, and blasting the ball home.
And, of course, regular visitors will need no reminding of Matty Hewlett's Goal Obsession, finally fulfilled last night. Mind you, asked on Wiltshire Sound if that strike would "open the floodgates," he urged us not to "hold our breath". OK, Matty, we won't.
The poor old Port Vale fans, meanwhile, are concentrating on their side's terrible performance. "Our tactics last night were crap. Our players were worse," says one today.
Find the Swindon Teamtalk report here, with the version for "sorry Vale" here.

Port Vale v Swindon -- preview

Weekend goal hero Andy Gurney is calling for "another West-Brom style" away display to beat struggling Port Vale tonight.
Gurney is brimming with confidence after his scrambled goal won Town a point against Tranmere, and seems pretty sure Swindon can pile the pressure on top of Brian Horton's young side.
A win tonight could lift Town into the giddy heights of the top 10, and Roy Evans looks likely to name the same starting 11 as Saturday, which means Graz will partner Jo Kuffour up front.
Vale took a 4-1 thumping from QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday, although we would do well to note that reports suggest they were OK until they took the lead (ala Swindon Town 2000-01, perhaps?) in the second half. They currently lie in 15th place - two wins to their name, same as Town, but four defeats and just one draw making the difference.
Vale, however, are clearly no mugs. As the Adver points out, they beat us at the County Ground 1-0 earlier this year, and won the LDV Vans Trophy later in the season. Their star turn is ex Coventry City player Stephen McPhee, leading scorer this season with four goals, and they seem to make quite a habit of making good the talented, but not-quite-good-enough, young cast-offs from the Premiership clubs.
Getting there The Port Vale Rivals site has good instructions, along with useful info for away funs on such essentials as prices and…er… what Vale have won, here.

In the Adver tonight, Graz admits it's a weight off his mind to finally get a league goal, and he says he goes into Tuesday's game with Port Vale with new confidence.
Roy Evans says the performance wasn't up to the standard set at WBA in the Worthington Cup, but is happy to see us battle our way to a point (especially, one imagines, with a striker getting one of the goals). He adds that he wasn't happy with the performance of the referee, pointing out there was hardly a bad tackle in a match peppered with free kicks and marred by a late sending off.
Matt Heywood was named the Adver's man of the match for his solid display at the back. By contrast, I thought Ruddock didn't look as good as he had in the previous games, with his misdirected clearing header setting up the second Tranmere goal (although it took a complete peach of a shot from Koumas to beat Gremink).

Sorry to regulars who saw no updates over the weekend; this was caused by tech problems at Blogger.com in the US.

Swindon 2 Tranmere 2
Read the report from Ananova.com....
A late Andy Gurney strike won Town the point in a scrappy, if entertaining, affair at the County Ground. Grazioli put Town one up after only seven minutes, opening his account for the season with a neat finish after rounding the keeper 20 yards out. but for much of the game after that it was Tranmere pressure, and for that reason alone we should be grateful for the point.
As Dave Hanley's report points out, last season we'd have lost this match. Tranmere looked a very ordinary side, but Town appeared to want to sink to their level as the first half wore on. We defended too deep, and insisted on playing long balls up to what must be the shortest front line in division two in Graz and Jo Kuffour. Similarly, the referee had an appalling match, showing promise early on by letting early exchanges flow, before getting more and more picky as things wore on. By the end of the match, Town fans were laughing even at the decisions which went in our favour.
But even Mr Cowburn, and a stiff breeze blowing from the Town end, still (somehow) managed not to wreck the match.

Swindon v Tranmere preview
Think of Tranmere and you think of their incredible cup runs under John Aldridge. Rovers flew the Nationwide flag through three amazing cup runs in 2000 and earlier this year. They were League Cup runners up in 2000, and made the sixth round of the FA Cup two years running. Golden moments included an amazing fightback against Southampton earlier this year, when they bounced back from 3-0 down at half time to win 4-3.
So it seemed all the more amazing that they should end bottom of the first division pile - occupying the same slot Town did a year previously - and be relegated in the same season they were further enhancing their giant-killing cup reputation. It's even more of a surprise that, under new boss Dave Watson, they should be finding life so hard in the second division.
It seems they're still struggling to develop much of an interest in the league - a problem highlighted by their thumping last week against Brentford, followed by a superb 4-1 thrashing of first division Preston in the Cup. The old problems still seem to haunt them.
But let's not get cocky. In tonight's Adver Roy Evans pays tribute both to the club and to two players he helped bring through the ranks at Liverpool. They weren't good enough to stay at Anfield, but Andy Parkinson and Gareth Roberts are both rated players to watch tomorrow by Evans.
There are a few others to look out for - not least youth team product Jason Koumas, top scorer last term with 10 goals and who scored midweek. And watch out for a special reception for ex-Townie Wayne Allison should he play a part for Rovers.
For Swindon, we already know that Sol Davies joins Sabin and O'Halloran in the stand for the next week or two. The main talking points surround who's going to go up front with Jo Kuffour - Danny Invincible, Graz, or even Bobby Howe again?
Meanwhile, Matty Hewlett's now weekly vow to score a goal goes on - this time he's insisting he'd have scored against Tranmere last season in a cup match, had it not been for a Rovers player slicing into his net. Should this Hewlett goal ever come, I can't wait to see the celebrations. He might just pass out from the shock. On the talkboards, Reading Red has a great suggestion for Roy Evans and the big match build-up.
Oh - and our entire defence now has shaved heads, along with three consecutive clean sheets in the league.

There's a nice interview with Keith O'Halloran in tonight's Adver, where he says that the terrible events in the US over the last few days have put his own problems - a broken leg - in perspective.
A break's never good news, but it could be worse - it was confirmed yesterday that it's a clean break, which shouldn't require any pins or plates, which means it should heal quickly, and well.
Meanwhile it looks like a few creditors might get paid off thanks to the impending transfer of ex Town star Peter Thorne from Stoke to Cardiff. Thorne signed for Town from Blackburn in the mid-90s, scoring 27 goals in 77 games before moving to Stoke. It's not clear how much we'll get - the mechanics of the transfer seem very complicated - but it looks certain to be a six figure sum.
Looking forward to the weekend, Sol Davies will be missing after suffering a groin injury in the 2-0 defeat away to WBA on Tuesday night.

WBA 2 Swindon 0 (after extra time)
WBA went through in the Worthington Cup despite a battling Swindon performance that had plenty of skill and strength, but lacked a cutting edge.
Roy Evans today described it as the best Town performance he's seen this season. A noisy travelling support would have agreed with his verdict - they were chanting "it's just like watching Brazil" midway through the second half as Town moved the ball about slickly and established firm control on the game.
But two extra time goals - one from Dobie in 96 minutes and another from Jordao in 110 - broke Town's resistance.
Townies are full of praise for the performance, and reckon it holds out a lot of hope for the continuing improvement of the team under Evans and Ruddock. Once again, Bobby Howe was outstanding in midfield, and Razor Ruddock marshalled things well at the back (it's notable that he was taken off at the start of extra time, before the Baggies scored both their goals).
WBA fans posted to myonlyswindon.com to praise the Robins - they variously said we should have won last night, and that we were unlucky.
Dave Hanley has posted his usual full match report, which notes that Town's injury list grew with Sol Davies limping off with a groin injury.
But, all in all, if defeat can still be positive - on such an otherwise grim day - then this is it.

We don't have our problems to seek, at least from an injury list point of view, for tonight's visit to the Hawthorns in the Worthington Cup.
Two important first team players are out - Eric Sabin, recovering after a knee op, and Keith O'Halloran, who broke his leg on Saturday. With our wafer thin squad, we could miss those players badly - especially since it's that double act which has earnt us most of our goals this season.
On the plus side, Steve Robinson made his comeback on Saturday and will likely start again in midfield tonight. And the Baggies have a few problems of their own - two of their forwards, Jason Roberts and Daniele Dichio, both limped off on Saturday, both with cracked bones in their feet. They'll be out for weeks too.
So is the game headed for a nil-nil draw after 90 minutes, with all these strikers crocked? Well, although they're giving us credit for having knocked out local rivals Wolves in the previous round, the Baggies seem pretty bloody confident of a win tonight.
Their midfield is something to look out for - they've got the impressive Derek McInnes in there (the former Glasgow Rangers midfielder scored a blinder at the weekend), and youngster Adam Chambers, a product of their youth setup, has also been playing well. A name you're likely to know - ex Newcastle and Spurs star Ruel Fox - is out injured, however.
Veteran striker Bob Taylor, who bagged a mighty five goals in 40 games last season, is likely to partner Scott Dobie up front. So while the forward line might be less likely to trouble Ruddock and co, Robinson and Hewlett are likely to have their hands full in the middle of the park.
Getting there: Sadly, West Brom has one of those crappy NTL websites like Swindon does, so there's little practical help on how to get there. Try Multimap instead (it's dead easy from Swindon, anyway - you can see the ground from the motorway).

It looks like Keith O'Halloran will be out for between three and four months after his right leg was broken early on during Saturday's match. "Agony for Town" says the Adver headline today, but given that O'Halloran was still said to be in "considerable discomfort" in a Dorset hospital last night, our thoughts should really be with the player, rather than the gap his injury will create in the side.
There's a picture of the incident - O'Halloran clearly in pain, the Bournemouth player still with his foot up after the challenge - here, at the Bournemouth local paper's website. But, again, it is made clear Roy Evans does not hold Wade Elliot responsible for the injury.
Meanwhile, Andy Gurney says he's pleased with a point.

Bournemouth 0 Swindon Town 0
It was a dull old affair at Dorchester as the two sides battled out a draw. ITV's Nationwide round-up this afternoon said Town "looked more like promotion candidates than last season's relegation fodder", but those who went were mostly pretty negative about the game.
There might have been mistakes, and our midfield might have been largely anonymous. But a point away from home's not too bad, and it leaves Town still in the top half of the table, filling 11th spot with two wins, two draws and two defeats.
Of more long-term concern after yesterday's match was a bad tackle on Town midfielder Keith O'Halloran by Wade Elliot, which sent the sickening sound of a crack echoing round the ground. He was taken to hospital where it was confirmed he's got a broken leg. Roy Evans was diplomatic about the incident later on, saying O'Halloran's first touch had invited the tackle, and making it clear he didn't blame Elliot, who picked up only a yellow card. It's bad news for Town, although of greatest importance of course is that Keith makes a full recovery. I don't think we'll see him back in top team action until near Christmas at the earliest.
Interestingly, Bobby Howe had yet another good game, looking like the best midfielder we have. Some of the boo-boys persist in their calls for him to be offloaded, but how much longer can they continue without beginning to look a bit dumb?
Already on the web is a report from the Bournemouth Rivals site. More links to follow, as and when...

Town is expected to take around 1000 fans down to Dorchester for the match with Bournemouth tomorrow.
Last season we lost 3-0 to the Cherries - as Bart Gremink says in today's Adver, those were bad days. Colin Todd was still in charge, the team was doing badly despite the huge burden of expectation that we'd bounce back to division one, and the nation was in the grip of a fuel crisis. After the third went in, Townies were singing "what a waste of petrol". We can only hope for better this time.
Studying the form, our chances don't look bad. As we all know, Town have been getting the results of late - since that disappointing home defeat to Oldham we beat Bury and early league pace-setters Colchester last week. Better still, previous under-performers like Bart and Bobby Howe have been turning it on. Bobby, interestingly, points out today that he used to be a striker - and he's enjoying the opportunities to get forward. His current midfield sidekick, Matty Hewlett, also wants to get on the scoresheet - let's hope he's not making forward runs at the same time as Bobby, or we'll end up with no midfield… again.
Meanwhile, our hosts haven't been enjoying the best of form. Dean Court is getting a face lift which is why the match is being played at Dorchester (you can see some pictures of the very neat, if slightly small-looking, new Dean Court, here) - it's due to open later this year.
We can only envy their new stadium, but their form at their temporary home has been poor this season. Blackpool - just promoted - won 1-0 and then, much worse, lowly Torquay (who only just survived in the league last season) beat them 2-0 in the League Cup. They've since had two 2-2 away draws to Cardiff and Cambridge United.
Last week's trip to Cambridge was marred by some ugly racist abuse from Bournemouth fans towards one of their own strikers, Chukki Eribenne. It's good to see that fans, via their website, have got together with police to track down the person, or people, who were responsible.
They don't seem an unfriendly bunch - a Bournemouth fan helpfully posts to the Swindon noticeboard today to suggest you travel early - the traffic approaching tiny Dorchester is pretty bad, he says. Oh - and pack a brolly, as the away end is a la Stratton Bank - roofless.

Meanwhile, off the pitch, yesterday a writ was served on Swindon in an effort to get the current directors to hold an annual general meeting. There has not been such a meeting in two and a half years despite the fact that, as the name suggests, an AGM should be… annual.
Most remarkable - breathtaking, in fact - are the comments attributed to Peter Rowe, the club's chief executive and spokesman for Blatchley and Donegan.
They're amazing because both company law and league rules state you've got to have an AGM… it's simply got to happen… and, what's more, the club have fallen into arrears with the council.
He said: "It’s frustrating and it’s doing the credibility of the club no good at all. We’ve already stated that we’ll hold an AGM. I cannot believe their arrogance on this matter.
"They are actually destroying the club and it really hurts me very deeply that they are resorting to this sort of tactic. It has become very silly and very petty."
Read the full story from the Adver here.
Comments? Email gaffer@swindonlog.com

Okay, so call me Mystic Gaffer all you like, but I told you so, on Tuesday. And again, yesterday.
Last night the council, reflecting on the mounting rent debt on the County Ground, decided to withdraw the now infamous preferred developer status from Swindon Town Properties Ltd. That's the company set up by ex-Town chairman Terry Brady to develop the Front Garden with housing... oh - and a plush new footie stadium.
They did leave the door open for current directors Blatchley and Donegan to repair things - they can pay off the exisiting debt in bits, to clear it by the end of the year, and can still negotiate on developing the land - but our less-than-dynamic duo have mananged to lose the valuable first refusal of any new development.
Keen followers of this debacle will remember that the council was pretty much pushed into giving preferred developer status to Brady earlier this year, after he threatened to walk out if he didn't get it.
He walked out anyway, and it didn't take a genius to spot the council would take any excuse going to pull out the deal after that. Unpaid rent totalling £101,000 gives them 101,000 good reasons.
So what now? Well, since the only reason the current directors are involved with the club is because of the possibilities of the Front Garden, a big question mark now hangs over their continued involvement. In fact, that question mark was there already because of the rival consortium, including Town's main shareholder, which wants to take back control. So it's just got a big bigger. Er... keeping up?
Either way, don't bet on Blatchley and Donegan hanging around - there's a good chance they'll either walk away, before they get pushed away. That leaves the path clear for Captain Clive Puffet's consortium to take over, and negotiate their own deal with a housebuilder to develop some land around Swindon - not necessarily the much-contested Front Garden. A site near the Honda plant is often mentioned for possible development.
Some worry that Razor Ruddock - best pals with Blatchley, by all accounts - might leave with his chairman if he was thrown out, and that Evans might then go too. But I'd doubt it - Ruddock should recognise Town for being the springboard it is, and stay. And there's the small matter of a contract he, presumably, has signed - although there is rumoured to be some kind of "Front Garden clause" in that, and the one Roy Evans has agreed to.
But, while all this very alarming, it shouldn't be terminal. And one thing we can all do in the meantime - as Tony Norris said this morning on Wilts Sound - is join the Supporters' Trust so the Council will talk to us - the fans - as a community group, rather than the club, which is just another company.
Comments? Send them to gaffer@swindonlog.com

Maybe you'll have better luck than me viewing the goalmouth action from Saturday's match on the official site. The high-res version managed to skip over Razor's goal, and the low-res is like watching the game through some moving, heavily frosted glass, despite Swindonlog HQ's super-fast speed 'o' light with fries net connection. Hmm - maybe it's 'cos they're using pants Windows Media Player, instead of Quicktime or Real or something. Answers on a postcard to the Gaffer...

Want the bad news, or the slightly better - but still bad - news? Town might be showing signs of getting it right on the pitch, but off the field the jobbie touch remains as potent as ever.
First, the tale of Sabin's knee. We all saw the striker fall over in pain on Saturday. Today we discover that could be the last time we see the Frenchman on the pitch for up to six weeks. He'll have an operation on Thursday to fix some damaged cartilage in his left knee. Six weeks sounds quite a long lay-off for this kind of injury, but given Town's luck he'll probably not be back before Christmas...
That's the bad news. The slightly better bad news is that, as pointed out by Ed Hadwin on Wiltshire Sound this morning, there's another option for tonight's council meeting, discussing the money owed on the County Ground. Instead of "going nuclear" and chucking Town out the County Ground (telling us all to go support Oxford, or summit), they could terminate the lease and replace it with something more short-term.
It's not clear exactly what point there would be in that (as the council still doesn't get its money) but Ed seemed to be hinting that was what is going to happen. My fiver's still on something nasty happening to Mr Preferred Developer Status as he strolls through the Front Garden tonight, but you never can tell with these horror movies.
But...er... councillors... any chance you could cut the rent to a couple of quid a month? Oh - no. You can't. And that's the law. Oh well.

Relations between councils and football clubs are always good grounds for paranoia. In two-team towns fans from both sides will accuse councillors of bias one way or another. In Towns with just one side, like Swindon, the paranoia takes on a slightly absurd, unspoken side - it's simply, they're out to get us.
Last night's Adver reported that the council was threatening to repossess the County Ground if Swindon didn't pay up what is now £101,000 owed in rent. That is one of the options open to councillors tomorrow when they meet to discuss the arrears.
Now, a few fans are muttering darkly that councillors want to evict Town from the County Ground (and replace them with… who?). Either there's a lot of Swindon Supermarine fans on the cabinet, or they all have aunties living in Oxford.
Were they not all cackling behind their Oxford Mails, they could consider other options, of course. The town's leaders could accept the current management's offer to pay all the owed money back by the end of the year. Or they could decide to withdraw the preferred developer status granted to Swindon Town Properties Ltd, the company associated to Swindon Town which was set up to develop the Front Garden.
Given the council appeared to enter that agreement with STPL reluctantly, that might be the option they take. They have reasonable grounds to pull out an agreement they never felt entirely comfortable with, and will then be free to deal with any new consortium that takes over at the helm of Town.
That might also mean the current Town regime depart pronto, their money-making plans in tatters. Brace yourself for more behind-the-scenes turmoil, whatever happens.

Still digesting two fantastic wins over the weekend (and, being a jock, a disappointing nil-nil draw, but let's draw a veil over that). Of course, we all know Michael, Steven, Emile and Nicky weren't the only Liverpudlians doing well on Saturday. Our own scouser Roy Evans was even playing it just like Sven after our 1-0 win over Colchester, telling the lads to "calm down" and suchlike, I'd imagine.
"Rome wasn't built in a day," he told the Adver today, but he was pleased by the signs of progress. If anything, he says, the players are having to work too hard, because they give the ball away too much. At least they're working Roy, which makes a welcome change. Before, they would just give the ball away, then watch.
Meanwhile, Matty Heywood points out that's three clean sheets in five games, but surely the more significant stat is two wins in a row, away and at home. I don't have my Rothmans annual to hand, but it must have been a while since that last happened, no?
And over at Swindon's messageboard, there's the sound of humble pie being scoffed in XXXL portions, after Razor Ruddock's match-winning performance. Readingred sums it all up: "I may have given the misleading impression in previous mails that Neil Ruddock has the footballing skills of a pantomime horse and the leadership skills of Timmy Mallett," he writes. "What I meant to say of course is that he's just what we need in the side, the natural successor to Hoddle in footballing genius and leadership."
Which is probably cue for me to say, likewise, that while I may have suggested Razor was past it, slow and not fit enough, as recently as Friday's entry, I take it all back.
Sorry, Razor, ol' pal. Especially if you know where I live.

Not that Hero Ruddock was hamming it up for the cameras, or anything...

Blimey. I mean, wow. Have we even seen a performance like it?
Such movement, such command, such razor sharp finishing, the crowd sent home delirious after a vital victory... yup, Swindon really were something against Colchester.
Dave Hanley has posted his blow-by-blow account of yesterday's match - he's calling the Razor Ruddock show. It was certainly the perfect warm-up for the wonderful England performance a couple of hours later.
You've got to have some sympathy for Alan Reeves, though. Having lost his place to Ruddock yesterday through suspension after his sending off at Ashton Gate against Bristol City, he's going to face a tough task winning it back. The County Ground has a new hero - and Reeves could have been the unhappiest man in England last night.

Swindon 1 Colchester United 0
Swindon battled to a fantastic first County Ground win of the season this afternooon, with captain Neil Ruddock scoring on his Town debut.
The crowd was sent home delighted after Ruddock’s strike in the 51st minute, when he thundered home a free kick from thirty yards out to sink the high-flying Us. But we have also got to be pleased with a vastly improved Swindon performance, which had grit, hard work and no small measure of skill at its heart.
The only downside to the game was what looked like a serious injury to pacy forward Eric Sabin, who had been torturing the U’s defense all afternoon. He collapsed, no opposition player near him, midway through the second half, and had to be carried off the pitch.
Physio Dick Mackay said later that he suspected the Frenchman had suffered a knee injury - Sabin goes to hospital on Monday to discover the extent of the damage.
Colchester had arrived at the County Ground on a high: undefeated in the league this season, with four wins and a draw putting them joint top of the table.
They showed how they’d got there too, creating several good chances through some neat passing and clever running which failed only because of some desperate defending from Town, and some desperate finishing from the United forwards.
In the first half, Ruddock cleared from under his own bar after Thomas Pinault had come in from the wing and attempted to cross. In the second half, Colchester squandered several chances, with Kevin Rapley in particular foiled by a superb Bart Gremink save.
Indeed, Bart’s commanding performance at the back (he was catching crosses above his head and everything) was symbolic of the Town’s transformation over just seven days. At the back Gurney played between Ruddock and Heywood, and all three looked secure despite the U’s known threat up front.
In the middle, Bobby Howe had another effective match, working hard and coming close with two efforts: a long range strike in the first half which went narrowly wide, and a close-range attempt which was hacked off the line in the second 45. It was good to hear the crowd applaud Howe's name when it was announced pre-match, and the backing he got during the game could only have given him new confidence.
Up front, Eric Sabin looked sharp again and was unlucky not to open his account when he forced the U’s keeper to make a couple of good saves after he had been sent tearing through on goal.
Things got a little desperate in the final 15 minutes - Sabin’s injury meant we had only one forward, a strangely lathargic Danny Invincible - and it was almost constant Colchester pressure, because there was no-one up front capable of chasing and then holding the ball.
But we held out, and the relief in the stands, and on the pitch, was obvious on the final whistle. Neil Ruddock turned to the crowd, fists clenched, while other members of the team embraced and applauded the fans.
We can only hope the win, allied to another clean sheet, gives the side new confidence, and gets the part-time fans back - under 6000 turned out to see this important win.