By Albatross
April 1 2005

Last season Pools went to Swindon needing a draw to secure a playoff place; this season, Swindon travel to us with both sides very much in the frame once again. No issues can be definitively settled at this point - but the clash at Victoria Park is a crucial one for both sides. Five points and three places below Pools, Swindon are by no means out of the playoff picture and know that a win over one of their playoff rivals would do their chances of finishing in the top six no harm at all. Pools meanwhile know that although their recent poor form has yet to cost them, an improvement is needed - and quickly - in order to stay in pole position.

Pools home form is not a pretty sight at the moment. Four defeats in our last five league games at the Vic mean that our previously impressive home record looks a little tarnished. Luton were a better side, while Wrexham found our defence in especially generous mood; Tranmere and Huddersfield though would both have been dispatched pointless but for some good goalkeeping and a slightly dulled cutting edge. Swindon will however travel to the Vic feeling that a win for them is far from impossible - though the quotes from various players at the County Ground indicate that they know it's going to be a tough game.

Swindon's away record this season is average - and recent form hasn't been of the best either. A draw at MK Franchise last Friday was not what they were hoping for; and while the game before that saw them beat Wrexham, that's their only win in the last five games. They've only lost one out of five on their recent travels though - at Luton - with a win at Oldham and draws with Torquay and Doncaster to add to the point earned at the National Hockey Stadium.

Swindon may have lost one half of last season's prolific partnership when tommy Mooney left over the Summer, but the other half - Sam Parkin - continues to do the business. He's their leading scorer by some distance, with 22 goals so far this season including a hat-trick against Wrexham. However, he's had to adapt to playing with a number of different partners, with the gap left by Mooney proving problematic to fill. Darius Henderson had a loan spell early in the season when he scored five, but decided he didn't want to make the move permanent; Rory Fallon - who had a hot streak towards the end of last season - has grabbed just four this season for Swindon and after being a substitute more often than not was farmed out on loan to Yeovil for a spell; while Michael Proctor has come on loan from Rotherham. The most likely partner for Parkin though is the player that knocked us out of last season's playoffs: Christian Roberts, who became surplus to requirements at Ashton Gate following Brian Tinnion's efforts to apparently sign every striker who became available. Roberts arrived in October and scored on his Town debut; however injury has blighted his season and he's only scored five times in all - one of them for Bristol. Grant Smith is also worth keeping an eye on - his eight goals mean that he's the second highest scorer for our opponents.

The team news for Swindon is positive, with Stefani Miglioranzi and Brian Howard both recovering from injury to be in contention; beyond that Andy King seems to have few problems.

In contrast, Neale Cooper faces a number of concerns. Eifion Williams aggravated the leg injury he suffered against Huddersfield, Mark Tinkler is still struggling and may well miss out again, while Jack Ross is still not fit either. Ben Clark is set to carry on in place of Tinks, meaning that we're likely to see the same starting lineup as at Blackpool on Monday.

We're getting close to the crunch time, and this is one of those games that Pools can ill afford to lose - and even a draw would be less than satisfactory. We can't keep relying on the other contenders slipping up - and to lose three points to one of them would severely dent our chances of finishing in the top six. It's going to be tight, it's going to be hard - but I'm backing Pools to walk away with a 1-0 win thanks to Joel Porter.