This weekend our U18 side face Swindon Town in the first round of the FA Youth Cup, looking to re-create their performance against the Robins a fortnight ago, a 3-1 win at Lliswerry School.
We preview Swindon’s last five fixtures, backroom staff and look back at previous fixtures between the Young Exiles and the Robins in the past year.
Previous Fixtures
We’ve enjoyed varied success against Swindon Town over the past year, winning two out of four games in the past year.
Swindon narrowly beat the Young Exiles 3-2 at home in their first encounter of the 2016/17 season. The following fixture saw the Robins continue the trend; they won 3-0 against County at Newport International Sports Village last November.
Despite this, the next match between the two sides was a 4-2 win for the Young Exiles at Dragon Park. Goals from Joe Hunt, Modou Touray, Owen Taylor and Rhys Kavanagh helped Byron Anthony’s side to their third victory in the Merit League 1.
Our last Fixture against Swindon Town was a 3-1 win at Lliswerry School, with goals from Joe Hunt, Tom Hillman and Lucas Murray leading the Young Exiles to their second consecutive win over the Robins in Youth Alliance League fixtures.
Backroom Staff
Swindon’s U18s are currently managed by Alan McLoughlin, who picked up 42 international caps for the Republic of Ireland over his career.
Some of his previous clubs include Manchester United, Swindon Town and Portsmouth, with his career spanning over 18 years. McLoughlin has previously worked as first-team coach at Portsmouth, taking up his role at Swindon in August 2016.
The Robins appointed Seamus Brady as Academy Director this August, tasking him with overseeing the day-to-day running of all aspects of the academy with academy Manager Jeremy Newton – who holds a UEFA Pro License.
Last Five Fixtures
Swindon currently are second in the Youth Alliance League South, winning eight games, drawing one and losing only three games all season.
Despite this, they’ve endured a tough run of form, only picking up two wins from their last five matches. Bournemouth and County are the only sides to take all three points from the Robins in the last five matches – Alan Connell’s Bournemouth side beat them 2-1 and the Young Exiles beat them 3-1.
Swindon Town picked up a solidary draw against Oxford United at home in a thrilling 3-3 game.
Wins against Yeovil Town and Forest Green Rovers helped the Robins keep pace with Exeter City and Bournemouth at the top of the table.
Match Details
Venue: The match will take place at the Energy Check County Ground. (SN1 2ED)
Kick-Off: 1PM (13:00)
Fans are welcome to support the Young Exiles, with tickets for the match priced as follows:
Adults - £3
Concessions - £1
FAW Youth Cup
We’ve been drawn against Caerau Ely in the 3rd round of the FAW Youth Cup. Fixture details are set to be confirmed soon, with all matches played on or before Sunday 19th November.
Caerau Ely progressed to the third round after beating Cambrian and Clydach Vale 4-0, with Tom Roberts scoring a hat-trick.
Live Match Coverage
If you can’t attend the fixture, you can follow match updates on the official academy Twitter @Youth_County as the Young Exiles look to progress to the second round of the FA Youth Cup.