Swindon Town 4 Bournemouth 1 

'Paynting' the town red

Coca-Cola League One

Saturday 22 September 2007

RESULT: Swindon Town 4 Bournemouth 1

Swindon scorers: S Cox 7, B Paynter 48, 64, 85
Bournemouth scorer: D Hollands 37

A Billy Paynter second-half hat-trick inspired Swindon to what in the end proved to be a comfortable win.

The score, however, slightly flattered the home side, following a lacklustre first-half performance in which they struggled against a physical Bournemouth side.

Simon Cox got the Reds off to the perfect start inside the first ten minutes when he rifled the ball home, following Paynter’s knock-down.

Opening goal: Simon Cox fired home the first with a superb turn and  shot from just outside the box © Calyx Multimedia

Following this the team fell into their old habits and dropped deep encouraging the away side to press forward.

A tactic that inevitably resulted in the equaliser, when Danny Holland ghosted into the area unmarked, and slid the ball under Phil Smith.

The second-half started in comical fashion when Bournemouth keeper Asmir Begovic hammered a clearance against his own defender allowing Paynter the easiest of chances.

The ‘Paynter show’ continued as he showed his strength to hold off the defender and smash the ball home for his second and Town’s third, just past the hour mark.

Hat-Trick Hero: Paynter lights up the County Ground © Calyx Multimedia

He completed his hat-trick when Cox crossed from the left allowing the big striker to tap in from close range, sending the home fans into raptures.

“I’m delighted for Billy and was very pleased how the front two played together today,” claimed a jubliant Paul Sturrock, “but tactically it was a very difficult game for us, and there is still a lot of work to be done in that area.”

With a tough trip to Millwall next Saturday the Town boss will no doubt be hoping that his Robins can produce a repeat performance in the Lions Den.

The League One Table:

1 Leyton Orient 7 4 16
2 Tranmere 7 5 14
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3 Hartlepool 7 5 13
4 Yeovil 7 2 13
5 Southend 7 1 12
6 Carlisle 7 2 11
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7 Swindon 7 3 10
8 Swansea 7 0 10
9 Bristol Rovers 7 -1 10
10 Nottm Forest 6 5 9
11 Northampton 7 3 9
12 Brighton 7 0 9
13 Luton 7 0 9
14 Crewe 7 -1 9
15 Huddersfield 7 -5 9
16 Cheltenham 7 -1 8
17 Doncaster 7 -2 7
18 Leeds 7 13 6
19 Oldham 6 -2 6
20 Gillingham 7 -10 6
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21 Bournemouth 7 -5 5
22 Millwall 7 -5 5
23 Port Vale 7 -5 5
24 Walsall 7 -6 5

NEXT GAME:

Millwall (a)
Saturday 29 September 2007, 3.00pm
Coca-Cola League 1