Sad Swindon in freefall

HAPPY MEMORIES . . . Chris Taylor scored for Athletic against Swindon earlier this season.

FROM being only 90 minutes away from the npower Championship, less than a year later Swindon Town are coming to terms with relegation to League Two.

It is difficult to understand how a side so vibrant last time has collapsed so dramatically following play-off final failure against Millwall at the end of last season.

Though the Robins lost the services of prolific striker Billy Paynter to Leeds, returning loan winger Danny Ward (to Bolton) and rock-like centre-half Gordon Greer to Brighton before the 2010-11 season started — plus talismanic front man Charlie Austin to Burnley in the January transfer

window — the extent of their post-Wembley hangover has been very surprising.

Danny Wilson suffered the consequences of his team's rotten form by leaving the club in early March, after a 4-1 loss to Southampton left Swindon in the relegation zone.

Experienced trouble-shooter Paul Hart was brought in, but has not been able to arrest the decline.

Swindon currently sit bottom of League One on 38 points and speculation is rife that a new manager will soon be given the task of plotting an immediate return to League One.

As with Athletic, who visit the County Ground on Saturday, Town have found goals difficult to come by recently.

Only seven have been scored in the club's last 13 games, highlighting the gap left by the loss of Paynter and Austin — who hit 49 between them last season.

Swindon have managed only five wins on home soil all season, the poorest record in the division, while no side has scored fewer than their 20 home goals.

In the corresponding fixture at Boundary Park in January, Athletic won 2-0 thanks to goals from Chris Taylor and Dale Stephens.