Swindon Town

Shakes puts club before country
Winger Ricky Shakes will stay to help Swindon's battle against relegation, rather play two matches for Trinidad & Tobago Under-21s in the Caribbean. The 21-year-old made his senior debut for the Soca Warriors in a friendly against Iceland at QPR in February. But after speaking to Town boss Iffy Onuora he told the Western Daily Press: "It's important for me to stick around. "As it's only an Under-21 game and considering the position we are in, I think it's best for me to stay."

It's still in our hands - Onuora
Manager Iffy Onuora insists that relegation-threatened Swindon are still capable of avoiding the drop - without relying on other teams to slip up. The Robins are second from bottom of League One, with seven games left. But Onuora told the club website: "We all know that the future is in our own hands. There are still seven or eight teams scrapping at the bottom. "While it is nice to see other results falling for us, it's about what we do that will make the difference."

Swindon v Hartlepool
Swindon will be without defender Andy Gurney as he starts a two-match ban. Defender Charlie Comyn-Platt (groin) will face a late fitness test but midfielder Paul Smith (foot) misses out despite returning to training. Hartlepool are without striker Joel Porter (hamstring), so Chris Llewellyn could take his place in the squad after recovering from illness. Goalkeeper Jim Provett could return to the substitutes' bench following knee and ankle problems.

Swindon 1-1 Hartlepool
Lee Peacock's second-half equaliser ensured that relegation rivals Swindon and Hartlepool shared the points. Ritchie Humphreys put Hartlepool ahead with a deflected free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. Swindon missed a penalty in first-half injury time as Jamie Cureton's penalty was saved by Dimi Konstantopoulos. The Robins levelled when Jack Smith set up Peacock who headed in from six yards - and nearly took all three points when Cureton's late shot hit the crossbar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swindon: Evans, O'Hanlon, Jenkins, Ifil (Shakes 84), Jack Smith, Comyn-Platt, Whalley (McPhee 75), Diagouraga, Brown, Benjamin (Peacock 30), Cureton. Subs Not Used: Miglioranzi, Nicholas. Booked: Comyn-Platt. Goals: Peacock 54. Hartlepool: Konstantopoulos, Darren Williams, Humphreys, Nelson, Clark, Butler, Bullock, Turnbull (Barron 68), Robson, Proctor, Boyd (Eifion Williams 68). Subs Not Used: Provett, Foley, Maidens. Booked: Proctor, Butler, Darren Williams. Goals: Humphreys 31. Att: 5,225 Ref: K Stroud (Dorset).

Onuora urges Town to stay upbeat
Swindon manager Iffy Onuora said his side have to stay positive after their 2-1 defeat against high-flying Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. "I asked the lads to stand up and be counted and they did that," Onuora said after seeing his beaten by two goals in the closing stages. "But we are all very disappointed - especially after having taken the lead. "We must take the positives from the performance and look ahead to Saturday's game against Milton Keynes."

Swindon 0-1 MK Dons
A stunning second-half strike by Clive Platt gave Milton Keynes Dons' survival hopes a massive boost. The striker buried the Dons' relegation rivals with a cracking shot to earn his side a second consecutive away win. With four games left Danny Wilson's side remain bottom but are now within striking distance of a great escape. Swindon lacked quality but were left to rue a bad miss by Ricky Shakes, who fired wide with only the keeper to beat three minutes before the Dons' winner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swindon: Evans, O'Hanlon, Gurney, Nicholas, Jack Smith, Whalley (Miglioranzi 40), Diagouraga, Brown (Comyn-Platt 13), Shakes, Cureton, McPhee, Comyn-Platt (Peacock 67). Subs Not Used: Jenkins, Jutkiewicz. Booked: Diagouraga, Gurney, Jack Smith. Milton Keynes Dons: Baker, Chorley, Crooks, Morgan, Partridge, Morais (Edds 79), Smith, Mitchell, Lewington, Platt, Wilbraham. Subs Not Used: Webb, McClenahan, Harding, Taylor. Goals: Platt 65. Att: 7,273 Ref: A D'Urso (Essex).

Onuora cheered after Swindon win
Swindon boss Iffy Onuora was naturally delighted after Monday's 2-1 win at Scunthorpe rekindled their hopes of avoiding relegation from League One. "We are on 46 points and have everything to play for," he said. "We said there would be twists and turns in this run, but we told the players that we could go to Scunthorpe and win - and they did just that. "There are three big games left and nine more points still to play for - maybe lady luck is shining on us."

Scunthorpe 1-2 Swindon
Struggling Swindon fought back from a goal down to secure a vital win. Scunthorpe went ahead when Billy Sharp pounced to steer the ball past Town keeper Rhys Evans. But the Robins drew level when veteran striker Trevor Benjamin powered home a penalty after Andy Crosby felled Toumani Diagouraga in the box. Ricky Shakes put the visitors ahead when he poked home a shot before the break and although Hinds, Andy Keogh and Sharp had chances, Swindon held on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scunthorpe: Evans, Byrne, Crosby, Foster (Ryan 31), Williams (Sparrow 59), Taylor, Baraclough, Hinds, Keogh, Sharp, Torpey (Beagrie 62). Subs Not Used: Musselwhite, Stanton. Goals: Sharp 9. Swindon: Evans, Jack Smith, O'Hanlon, Gurney, Nicholas, Shakes, Paul Smith (Jenkins 71), Diagouraga, Benjamin, Jutkiewicz (Peacock 90), McPhee (Comyn-Platt 71). Subs Not Used: Cureton, Pook. Booked: Jack Smith, Jenkins. Goals: Benjamin 26 pen, Shakes 39. Att: 5,207 Ref: N Miller (Durham).

Swindon v Brentford
Swindon's Paul Smith is a doubt after suffering a reaction to the foot injury that kept him out for two months. Smith returned on Monday but, along with Gareth Whalley (shoulder) and Aaron Brown (groin), is likely to miss out once more. Brentford defender Kevin O'Connor could return after an ankle injury that has kept him out since February. O'Connor has trained with the squad this week, but midfielder Oli Skulason (knee) is not be available.

Swindon 1-3 Brentford
Brentford confirmed their place in the play-offs and left Swindon on the brink of relegation after an easy win. The Bees took the lead when Paul Brooker swept the ball home from 12 yards, before Marcus Gayle doubled the lead in the 39th minute. The Robins did get one back in the 70th minute when Aaron Brown beat Nelson at the near post from 12 yards. But all hopes of a rousing finish were effectively ended when super-sub Calum Whillock smashed the ball home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swindon: Evans, Gurney, Jack Smith, O'Hanlon, Nicholas, Shakes, Paul Smith (Diagouraga 45), Whalley (Brown 45), Benjamin (Jutkiewicz 57), Cureton, McPhee. Subs Not Used: Peacock, Jenkins. Booked: Gurney, Brown, Cureton. Goals: Brown 71. Brentford: Nelson, O'Connor, Tillen, Sodje, Turner, Brooker (Rhodes 83), Newman, Pratley, Tabb, Owusu (Willock 69), Gayle. Subs Not Used: Bankole, Smith, Lewis. Goals: Brooker 27, Gayle 39, Willock 75. Att: 6,845. Ref: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).

Swindon taken to tribunal by King
Former Swindon Town manager Andy King has taken the club to an industrial tribunal to try to claim the wages he is owed. King was sacked last September, and under the terms of his contract he was due to receive a year's wages. Swindon started to pay the money but stopped because they claimed they could not afford to keep up the payments. Deputy chairman Mark Devlin says the club intends to eventually pay King the money he is owed. Devlin said: "The club at the time obviously didn't have the money to pay it in one big hit, so they began to pay it on a monthly basis. "There was a reassessment of where the money needed to go, and we haven't paid Andy for two or three months now. "He decided to take us to court which is totally understandable, it's his prerogative. "We do fully intend to pay Andy but we need to pay him when obviously the club has the money."

Swindon rocked by injury to pair
Swindon's hopes of avoiding relegation have been hit by the news that striker Lee Peacock and midfielder Paul Smith have been ruled out for the season. The Robins need to win their last two matches if they are to beat the drop. Boss Iffy Onuora told the club website: "It looks like both of them will need surgery. Paul's inclusion on Saturday was a gamble and he had to come off. "We've been managing his injury, but I think the time has come for him to have the injury cleared up."

Investor sinks £1m into Swindon
A new investor has promised to sink at least £1m into struggling Swindon Town Football Club. Bill Power, a former director at Queens Park Rangers, will also join the club's board of directors. The investment came after Swindon's deputy chairman and former QPR employee, Mark Devlin, approached Mr Power for help. "I'm not Roman Abramovich, I've not got billions sat away, but it won't end there," he told Sir Stanley. "It's about helping the club as a whole. I'm not going to say let's go and spend £200,000 on a player, I won't do that until it's needed. "There's 100 different things that make a club successful, and it's not just pumping money into players, although keeping our best players and keeping them happy is part of that." Swindon have faced difficult times in the past few seasons, including several winding up orders. The club is currently facing relegation into the bottom division for the first time in 20 years. It has also had plans for a new stadium at Shaw Community Forest turned down, but is currently examining the possibility of redeveloping its current home, the County Ground.

Bristol City v Swindon
Bristol City have midfield duo Luke Wilkshire (leg) and Cole Skuse (ankle) vying for starting places having made substitute appearances last weekend. Matt Heywood (knee cyst) and forward Scott Murray (knee ligaments), however, look set to miss the final two games. Gareth Whalley could be fit for the must-win clash against rivals City after overcoming a shoulder injury. Paul Smith (ankle) and Lee Peacock (knee) both require surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Boss insists Swindon will be back
Boss Iffy Onuora insisted Swindon will "stand strong and bounce back" after a 1-1 draw at Bristol City confirmed their relegation from League One. "Over 46 games, the table doesn't lie. That's life," Onuora reflected. "I was never relegated as a player, and it's new to me. It does hurt, but we have to take stock and the message is that we will be back. "Life is about resilience - you have to go through the bad times to appreciate the good times." Swindon have become the first club to be relegated to the bottom division after playing in the Premiership, since that league was formed in 1992. "We have to let it sink in over the weekend - then, questions will be asked of what we have done, and how we can improve," Onuora added. "There were bad days across the season. We have not been far away, but couldn't finish moves off at crucial times. "There was a point in the game where the dream of staying up was alive after taking the lead, but then we lost crucial players with injuries and things changed."

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