Thetownend.com

Never started a matchday thread before but I have now  :beers:

Who else is going tonight?

Me.

Me.

Me.

Not Me.

Me

Me...only so DRS can tell me to fuck off....then im off home...

I'm debating whether to go. I went to watch ciren v chelt and that was £8 - how much was supermarine v town? It's gonna get packed up there and with limited parking spaces.

Went last year and they used an adjoining field for the parking.  Seemed to be enough space.

Not me.

In all fairness, i think they'll be shit loads more people this year due to the fact we have di canio managing us. We'll see.

Not me

The pre season after the playoffs (last year) our support was very strong.

Was going, but not now my car's broken down.  :suicide:

not me.

Went to Supermarine last week. Can't really be bothered tonight. Not for another £8 anyway.

I'm going again.

Expect the turnout will be less than against Supermarine though - as most will wait for Reading now.

Can't justify driving up from zummerset for this. Can't believe I'm bothering to come up Saturday to watch us play the plastics!

Not going - saving all my spending money for family holiday next week. First season for ages I won't have gone to a single pre-season game.

I did pick up my season tickets today though, and buy youngest this seasons shirt for his birthday.

Swindon Town v Cirencester Town: Phil Smith; Paul Caddis (capt), Joe Devera, Alberto Comazzi, Callum Kennedy; Matt Ritchie, Jonathan Smith, Michael Timlin, Etienne Esajas; Raffaele De Vita, Alan Connell

Sat in traffic - another delayed kick off?

First impressions. Aren't the coaching staff tanned.

Is Di Canio dressed like an extra out of an oasis video again?

Yep. Or a catalogue model. Aviator sunglasses have no place in division 4

Do we know what to expect from him on League match days this year?

The afore mentioned oasis/model look, Suit or club tracksuit?

Maybe something to ask Mr Wray wednesday...

As PDC was quote as saying he would start tonight with his 1st choice XI (except the injured Risser), does the absence of Ferry suggest he's behind both Smith and Timlin in the pecking order atm?

Also notable that Smithy is in goal which isn't too surprising to me.

Not too surprising to many of us pal. Lanzano and Scott injured allegedly.

how are we not winning yet!

Esajas off injured. McCormack on.

Hope that's not an omen.  Look serious?

that cant be good with his injury record

Shoulder blow apparently. Following on official Swindon site.

http://twitter.com/#!/Official_STFC

1-0. Ritchie.

1-0 Ritchie

im surprised atiku did not come on as i thought he was a natural winger

This is going to sound stupidly negative, but I hope Ritchie isn't going to be our main source of goals for the season - he seems to pop up with the first one every game.

2-0 OG

2-0. Kennedy.

negative cunt :D

not sure about main but it would be a major boost to get 15 goals from a midflelder this season, if the two main strikers (whichever ones they will be) get that each too then we'll be top 7 without any doubt

Doing ok at the moment. Scrappy game but I suppose I had better get used to that!
Pdc is worth the admission alone, animated on te bench.

Shaddup your face!!

3-0 Mehdi

substitute Kerrouche scores a sublime effort from outside the area, smashing shot against the underside of the bar

Kerrouche, Kerrouche, Kerrouche is on fire!

Come with us now, on a journey through time and space where we sing Mehdi Kerrouche

We don't need no Austin let the motherfucker burn...

Haha very good!

4-0 Connell

Off the mark, that's good

What song's that? I can't quite figure it out!

STGary_Rose

Connell gets among the goals when he finishes off a lovely move involving McCormack and the impressive Kerrouche

The Mighty Boosh Theme Toone

oh it's the intro to The Mighty Boosh

How do you pronounce Kerrouche? Keroosh? Ker-oo-che?

Pretty sure it's Keroosh...

me too

Haha Yes!!

Oh right, that's probably why I don't recognise it.

4-0 FT

would be such a strange 'chant' got to be done

here you go then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0QPfSmmD0

I'm in. Opposition fans wouldn't have a clue what we'd be "singing" and even less of a clue who we're singing about.

The first 1/4 of the game was hard work as Town failed to settle into a rhythm, too many long balls and nothing passes. It got better as the half wore on, but as per the Supermarine game we didn't get the strikers into it.

Worrying for Esejas, it  looked like he was stretchered off with a bad shoulder injury.

Second half we were much much better, with sub  Simon Ferry running the midfield in a way nobody did in the first half. We looked more threatening and put some neat moves together. Fitness also started to tell and we could have had a few more with a couple of golden chances missed and the Ciren keeper making some smart saves.

Decent crowd again too.

edit: PDC implied Esejas has signed, but will miss start of the season as his shoulder did a Corr/Austin:
http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/9159285.Di_Canio_s_reaction_to_Town_win__Esajas_out_for_start_of_season/

edit: Confirmed 2 year deal. Sorry if this has been reported already:

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10341~2401627,00.html

A few good performances tonight i thought.  Very Impressed with devitta, esajas looked good until the injury, flint looks commanding, italian centre back was very good at organising, Ferry did himself a load of favours, looking very dynamic in midfield.  All in all a decent night out.  Reading will be very interesting.  Much more of a realistic test.

Another good result. Stepping up the intensity game by game. Reading will be a good test for us before the real thing.

How did McCormack play?  Gary Rose seemed impressed by Kerrouche what are people's thought that went on Kerrouche?

Kerrouche has a good touch, speed, aggression and hit a cracking shot that the russian linesman gave. But I don't think he's fully fit yet as he seems to fade out of games. That said, it is hard to judge any of our strikers just yet.

McCormack was fairly anonymous IMHO. But its early days yet. Ferry was my pick of the middle.

Good to see Ferry stood out tonight. I didn't think he did that well at Supermarine tbh. Kerrouche and McCormack are bound to be off the pace fitness wise. More so Kerrouche. I guess you also have to factor that was McCormack's first game since arriving as well.

Agree with all of that. McCormack did play a few good balls, but he's just settling in. Kerrouche looked a bit more on the pace than at Supermarine. His movement was quite good at times. A contrast to Perricard last season.

What Ferry did tonight, other than the running, is get the ball down and play it on the floor. Quickly and accurately, one twos and in triangles. Totally agree this was not seen at Supermarine, where I though Smith was the standout central midfielder.

Great to hear the reports about Ferry.  A fit, committed SF is as good as a new signing.

Any more news of Esajas' shoulder?

Oh yeah, forgot to mention our new togetherness.

When we scored a goal we all had a group hug.

After Aden Flint was late with a challenge that the Ciren player took exception to, it looked like we were all up for a group fight.

United we stand.

Overall i left quite pleased and upbeat.....that hasnt happened in a while.

Big gate for Ciren too, i would say doble if not three times on last year.

Reading will be a good run out for us....then bring on the real thing....

Disclocated according to BBC Swindon will miss few weeks of the season

i think that depends on the strength of squad they send. I remember thinking that aboutPlymouth a few seasons ago only for them to send a bunch of kids.

The Esajas injury gives us more problems down the left flank. Cibochi doesnt seem anywhere near fit, so it looks like Kennedy and Timlin on the left wing against Crewe? If so, they both need to play the entire game against Reading in those positions. I'll give Kennedy credit, he can put in a good cross.

J Smith reminds me of Owain Tudor Jones. He has a lot of promise, but he's only going to get better if he is playing first team games and that must be seriously in doubt?

Fingers crossed on Kerrouche, certainly looks like he can put his foot through the ball. Very clean strike for the goal.

Another striker would be ideal. But for me the problem areas that need strenghtening look to be the keeping (no sign of Lanzano last night?) and the left side.

Lanzano is injured mate.

Went last night.  More encouraging signs for me, particularly our togetherness as a team.  Devita was excellent - I'd previously had my doubts about him but he did very well.  However im not getting carried away just yet, whilst Ciren fought hard they are hardly going to set the world alight.  Suspect well no a lot more after the Reading match.

Have you not forgotten that Matt Ritchie plays on the left side?  With Ritchie there Atiku or Caddis can play right side which means Manks can go to Right back if Caddis plays right midfield

Problem with that is dicanio has not done that once in pre season

Cirencester's number 9 up front was carrying a few pounds, he looked fucked after 20 mins.

Was impressed with their keeper (even with the own goal and conceding another 3).

He is their top scorer!

Is it that Jody Beven ??

Christ, he looks like a pub team player.

won a load of headers though....poor fucker didnt get a sniff last night.

I was impressed by their keeper.

I thought Jody Bevan gave great hope to all us fat 40 years.  Unfortunately he's only 33.

33??  fuck me.............

I packed up at 35 ish....only piled on the timber after that..