MATCHDAY LIVE: Swindon Town v Aston Villa (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

10:55pm

What a night it has been at the County Ground. Swindon Town showing once more just how good they can be in pushing Premier League opposition all the way.

It may have ended in heart-break but they did the club and the town proud. And in Miles Storey they have proved what those who have been watching youth football at SN1 for the past three years knew all along - there's a gem hidden on the Swindon bench.

So that's it for one knockout cup competition for another season, but Town are still in another.

Join us again on Saturday when the Robins entertain Macclesfield in the first round of the FA Cup.

Until then, goodnight.

10:47pm

Here's Miles Storey looking back on a night where he scored twice against Premier League opposition but still ended up on the losing team.

He said: “They had four chances and scored three goals which is why they play in the Prem and get paid £40,000 every week.

“I started to run off a bit but I pulled myself back. Luckily enough the second one came but, although it means something, we wanted to win the game.

MILES STOREY

“I couldn’t really believe the second on to be honest. You see people just flick it in with their heel all the time but it was just reactions. I just tried to get something on it and luckily enough it’s gone in.

“It is a cruel defeat. It’s a sell-out, a brilliant atmosphere and if we’d have won it it would have been such a good night.

“It’s so close to being such a memorable night."

10:45pm

Villa boss Paul Lambert was releaved to make it into the hat for the next round, and was full of praise for Swindon's efforts.

PAUL LAMBERT

"We showed character today but Swindon have to take a lot of credit for the way they came back," he said.

"The three goals were great, and I thought Gabby's goal was world class there.

"We have taken a few hits along the way and the club is in a bit of a transition period, but we did well tonight.

"The boys are honest lads and they did themselves proud, but you have to give credit to Swindon because they gave everything."

10:26pm

Town boss Paolo Di Canio has spoken to the media, and was understandably proud of his players' performance this evening.

PAOLO DI CANIO

“We dominated completely and they went out of half way five or six times, but we were 45 minutes in their half playing quality football with discipline, so I am very happy.

“Obviously it leaves a bad taste because one minute earlier we should have scored with Andy Williams, because if we score it would have been amazing.

“But I was very happy to see my players not go blurry after going 2-0 down, and I think very positive for the future.”

10:22pm

Matt Ritchie has been talking to the media after Swindon Town lost 3-2 to Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup.

He said: "It's disappointing in the end but it shows the quality we've got in the team off the bench.

"We're a strong side and second half we got on top of the ball, passed it well and made them tired.

MATT RITCHIE

"We're disappointed with goals but they're a Premier League side and they've got good finishers.

"Miles' finish was a very good finish. It's a shame it's at the County Ground because if it's in the Premier League it's talked about for weeks and weeks."

9:46pm

What an effort from Town this evening, so close to yet another top tier scalp!

Reaction from manager Paolo Di Canio to come, but keep your comments coming in the box below or on twitter using #stfcadver

9:37pm

FINAL SCORE: SWINDON TOWN 2 ASTON VILLA 3

9:35pm

89 minutes: Weimann smashes the ball against the post as Town hang on.

9:33pm

87 minutes: Agbonlahor takes aim and fires well well wide.

9:29pm

9:20pm

Tommy Miller is hobbling a little out there, but Town have now used all their subs

9:17pm

SUBSTITUTION: Miles Storey replaces James Collins.

9:13pm

68 minutes: Foderingham is alert to save from Benteke at the near post.

9:12pm

67 minutes: McEveley sends Collins into the area, but Ron Vlaar is there to clear.

9:11pm

66 minutes: Flint heads wide from a corner.

9:09pm

64 minutes: Roberts steals in at the back post, but heads wide with the goal gaping.

9:08pm

63 minutes: Bannan’s shot is deflected behind, and Town clear the following corner.

9:04pm

After a Town made a quick start to the second period, Villa are starting to get the ball down and play now, and their ball retention is excellent. Williams is on and running around, but doesn't look 100 per cent fit.

8:56pm

TOWN SUBSTITUTION: Andy Williams on for Paul Benson

8:54pm

49 minutes: Gary Roberts heads over James Collins' cross.

8:54pm

48 minutes: Town have the first chance of the second half as Ferry sends the ball across the box, but Benson can’t reach it.

8:50pm

The press box wi-fi is struggling to cope with the extra media here this evening, but we are back for the start of the second half. No changes for either side.

8:33pm

HALF-TIME Swindon Town 0 Aston Villa 2

8:31pm

45 minutes: Great save from Foderingham to deny Weimann’s volley, seconds afer McEveley was lucky to get away with a challenge on Agbonlahor in the box.

Two minutes added on.

8:23pm

37 minutes: Town continue to push forward in search of an equaliser, and a series of crosses into the box cause problems, but utimately don't lead to anything.

8:20pm

Benteke got between McEveley and McCormack who left it to eachother. Town unlucky to be behind, but they are. Big effort needed now!

8:07pm

27 minutes: Real panic in the Villa penalty area as Ritchie feeds Benson, and the strikers attempt is cleared off the line by Matt Lowton. Ferry and Devera both have follow-ups blocked before the ball is cleared. A real roar from the home fans after.

8:06pm

Big applause from the Villa fans for captain Stiliyan Petrov, who is fighting leukemia. The applause came in the 19th minute - the Bulgarian's shirt number.

8:01pm

13 minutes: Aden Flint booked after going through the back of Agbonlahor.

8:00pm

12 minutes: Bannan takes aim from 25 yards but his effort is well wide.

7:57pm

Nine minutes: Ritchie cleverly robs Bannan with a backheel tackle and frees Collins, but the striker doesn’t see Roberts’ run and loses the ball.

7:55pm

Five minutes: Roberts tries to thread a ball through to McEveley, but it is deflected to Shay Given.

7:52pm

Three minutes: Agbonlahor steams past Devera like he wasn’t there to cross, but Benteke’s header is tame and straight at Foderingham.

7:48pm

Tonight's referee is Stuart Attwell, the man famous for award the ghost goal at Watford.

7:45pm

And we're off......

7:45pm

A massive roar goes up as Town break from their huddle and prepare for kick-off. Kicking towards the Bank in the first half.

7:42pm

Here come the teams! Great atmosphere inside a packed County Ground this evening.

7:39pm

Colin Calderwood and Phil King are being inductred into the Hall of Fame on the County Ground pitch.

Great to see Calderwood here. Let's hope he inspires a Swindon win.

COLIN CALDERWOOD

7:37pm

Town youth team boss Paul Bodin knows Swindon will be in for a tough night tonight.

PAUL BODIN

“I have played against Villa twice for Swindon and we lost 2-1 each time, and I just hope that isn’t an omen for tonight.

“They beat Man City in the last round which shows they have been taking things very seriously, and they have some quality players so it will be a tough game.”

7:36pm

ADVER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "Atmosphere building at the County Ground, seats filling up, players back in the dressing rooms. We're almost ready for the off. Who's excited.

"If I'm being honest, I'm buzzing."

7:35pm

Hearing that bus services between Oxford and Swindon are taking a bit of a hit tonight. One cancelled and one seriously delayed.

We're hoping anyone coming from that way makes it to the ground in time or at the earliest possibly opportunity.

7:31pm

7:31pm

DANGER MEN
Gabby Agbonlahor

The striker may not have found the net in the league since Bonfire Night last year, but he will still be a potent threat this evening. He has pace to burn, and can finish from all over the pitch if given the chance. The youth team product has been a main stay of the side in recent years, and it would no surprise if he found the net tonight.

Stephen Ireland

The Irishman has been out of favour at times since his move to Villa Park, but again is another potential match winner. He can pick a pass out of nowhere and can shoot with either foot, and although he is expected to start wide on the left, he could easily pop up anywhere on the pitch.
 

Barry Bannan

The youngster is another product of the academy, and brings energy to the Villa midfield. He, like Ireland, can pick a bass, but also goes from box to box to help out both defence and attack. The Scot has enjoyed a loan spell at Derby to aid his development, and is no a mainstay of the Villa side.

7:28pm

Swindon Town are not approaching the clash with Aston Villa any differently to any normal League One fixture, according to striker James Collins.

He told the Adver: “We had a great win on Saturday and the lads who played Saturday were brilliant. We’ve done nothing different. We were in Sunday for a warm-down and this morning was like a Friday before the game.

JAMES COLLINS

“I don’t think we’re treating it any different because if you get wrapped up in it it can get people nervous so we’re just going to take it as it comes.

“The lads who played on Saturday put in a great performance and it’s given the gaffer a bit of a headache. It’s not very often you change a winning side.

“I don’t know whether he was resting the players on Saturday but tomorrow whoever plays will be sure to want to do it again.”

7:27pm

YOUR SAY

Which I guess is why he wants them on the bench. Nothing like a bit of positivity pre-match.

7:15pm

In the Advertiser today, we had a lovely little interview with Eileen Winter.

Eileen is a former publican at the King's Arms who got to know several sets of Swindon players and their managers down the years.

She originates from a Villa family and is attending the game today with split loyalties, such has she integrated herself into life in Swindon over the past 30 years.

Here is what she had to say to us:

“My father must have been going to the Villa ground for 50 years and I sort of absorbed it. I wasn’t that interested at the start, it didn’t click with me at all and I was too interested in other stuff.

EILEEN WINTER

“I was in the license trade for 25 years and you learn to pick up a lot and you learn to talk to all sorts of people about all sorts of things so I began to glean an interest.

“I got quite interested in Swindon but all the time the Villa were number one. As things have gone on and I’m still very interested in Swindon, Aston Villa has got to be the one that as a family we are behind.

“I’ve got a great nephew who’s a season-ticket holder and Charlie is mad for it. He’s 27 and we have lots of text conversations about the results.

“Would you believe I’ve never been to the ground but my father and my mother were born in Aston and it’s basically come from there.

“When you’re born in Birmingham you either support the Blues or the other lot and the other lot were the ones we did.

“In particular I got excited when we had Martin O’Neill because he was such a good manager and we really thought we were going to do things with him.

“When he left three days before the start of the new season that knocked the heart out of the Villa, they really went flat and still they haven’t got back on their feet but I’m determined to support them until the bitter end.

7:12pm

The two teams are out on the County Ground pitch warming up.

I know this is becoming a common theme on Matchday Live, but it has to be said, Marcus Cassidy and his groundstaff at SN1 have outdone themselves once more.

Another fabulous playing surface will only add to this cup tie. Congratulations to them all.

7:09pm

YOUR SAY

7:08pm

It may be a ridiculous notion to some, but James Collins believes Swindon Town have a chance of going all the way in the Capital One Cup this season.

When asked by the Advertiser on Monday whether or not the Robins could think about the prospect of recreating the achievements of the heroes of 69 and making it to Wembley, he said: “I think so. We’ve got to get through tomorrow and we’re at home which is a great advantage for us. Whatever team comes here we always think we’ve got a chance.

JAMES COLLINS

“Obviously you’ve got to be realistic. You have Man United and Chelsea in there and obviously they’re the favourites but you never know.

“Anywhere near it would be great. It’s the last 16 tomorrow night, the last eight would be history in itself.”

7:05pm

ADVER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "Four changes, as perhaps expected, made by Paolo Di Canio, including James Collins returning to the starting line-up against the club he learnt his trade.

"For the opposition, I expect a warm welcome for former loanee and Republic of Ireland legend Shay Given in goal while the Town defence will be buoyed by the fact that Darren Bent only makes the bench.

"They will, however, have to cope with the devastating pace of Gabby Agbonlahor. It's set up beautifully."

7:01pm

Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland thinks he and his Premier League teammates are in for a tough test this evening.

He said: “It’s going to be really tough because they’re going to be up for it the same way we were against Man City, but hopefully we can take charge and go into it with confidence.

STEPHEN IRELAND

“Everyone knows what’s at stake and we actually believe that we can go on and push for the final. It’s not going to be what we are used to in the Premier League down at Swindon, but everyone has got to cope with the surroundings, dig in and get a result.”

7:00pm

ADVER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "I've been asking fans to send in reports of the atmosphere where they are on Twitter. Here are some of the responses."

6:57pm

Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given spoke exclusively to the Advertiser in the build-up to today’s game.

The Republic of Ireland stopper made his Football League debut for Swindon in 1995, on loan from Blackburn, and holds fond memories of Town.

However, he is only out for one result tonight.

He said: “My first game was for Swindon. I was training with Blackburn’s reserves and it was a different pressure and a different challenge when you’re in someone’s first team and there’s crowds involved and stadiums and playing against real men.

“You’re playing in that division against some sturdy guys so I had to grow up very fast. It was a great start for me, a great learning curve for me and it was great to play with some of the lads.

“They protected me and Steve McMahon was a pleasure to play for and with.

“It’ll be nice to go back, of course, I haven’t been back since and that’s 18 years. It’s such a long time.

“I have some great memories and the fans were always fantastic when I was there so that was always nice.

“But we want to win tomorrow for Aston Villa. We beat for Man City in the last round and we need to try to back that up now with another victory.”

6:49pm

Full teams to come, but we're hearing that Villa make five changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Norwich on Saturday.

6:45pm

The Aston Villa players have been out on the County Ground pitch surveying the scene ahead of tonight's game.

No hints on teams as yet, but we think Shay Given may be in line for a start against the team for whom he made his Football League debut all the way back in 1995.

6:44pm

Here's Paolo Di Canio suggesting that Saturday's FA Cup clash with Macclesfield is more important than tonight's game against Aston Villa.

Oh, he's a joker isn't he!

The Town boss said: “To be honest I wanted to play with the youth but tonight I will think again. It’s obvious that tomorrow is an important game but the most important game will be Saturday afternoon with Macclesfield in the FA Cup because realistically it’s the game that probably we have more chances to win.

PAOLO DI CANIO

“What we have done already is fantastic. Tomorrow there will be a fantastic atmosphere at the County Ground.

“Tomorrow, even if we have one chance to win the game, we will try to make the one chance a big chance. The first half-hour is crucial, every first half-hour is crucial.

6:36pm

Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland has not had the greatest luck in knockout competitions down the years, but he is hoping to change all that in the Capital One Cup this season.

When asked to describe his experiences in the League Cup, he said: “It’s been terrible, when we were at City I don’t think it was taken seriously enough. But now they obviously take it seriously because they have such a big squad with great quality and depth.

“When I was there I don’t think it was taken as seriously as I probably would have liked it to be. But this year at Villa we’re in a great position to go on and achieve something that I’ve not achieved before. So if we can win on Tuesday night it sets us up for a great run and we’re not far away from actually been in the final.

STEPHEN IRELAND

“It was very frustrating missing the Man City game and having to watch it from the stands. It was a nightmare breaking my arm before that game because I had that one in my sights.

“I was actually quietly confident going into that game that we were going to get something out of it. We seemed to go there, with the feeling we’d got nothing to lose and we had no fear and just went for it.

“Even when we went 1-0 down I still thought we would do something because we should have been 1-0 up at that stage. We just took our chances and it was a great performance.”

6:34pm

Manager Paolo Di Canio could complete his most famous victory in charge of Swindon Town if he manages to mastermind a win tonight.

Here were his views going into the game.

“Paul has already made a good path. They are not in a good moment but tomorrow will be very tough.

“My words don’t count. What counts is how the players approach the game, how they interpret the situation.

PAOLO DI CANIO

“This kind of game tactically is really important but if you stay top one versus one, if you cut out silly mistakes in the middle of midfield, then the players can make a difference.

“It’s easy to prepare for this game because the players have 200 per cent commitment to prove their quality. If you are not an intelligent manager you can fall in a trap because you can make mistakes because there is too much enthusiasm.

“The manager counts a lot in reading who from your side will try to do too much on his own because of his enthusiasm."

6:32pm

YOUR SAY

We're all hoping you get to see the evening through to a Swindon win!

6:31pm

Despite Aston Villa making their worst start to a league season in 43 years, James Collins does not expect form to play a major part in tonight’s proceedings.

The former Villa striker, who joined Town in the summer after a year at Shrewsbury, told the Advertiser: “They’re not doing the best in the league but I’m sure they’ll come out of that.

JAMES COLLINS

“The new manager will have to have time but tomorrow night is a different tie. If they win tomorrow night then they go through to the next round and have a great chance of winning the cup and so do we.”

6:29pm

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to face a Swindon Town side in front of a big County Ground crowd.

Lambert led Norwich to Wiltshire for a 1-1 draw in 2009/10, and he’s anticipating a similarly difficult encounter this evening.

“For any big team that goes and plays at a lower league team, the expectancy is always on the bigger team and Tuesday will be no difference,” he said.

PAUL LAMBERT

“I’ve been there, I know exactly what it will be like and it will be a hard game.

“They tell me Di Canio is an extrovert character. I’ve never met him but he was a great player.

“Listen, I’ll try and pick a team I think that will win the game. If you are in something, you try and win it.”

6:28pm

6:27pm

TEAM NEWS

Still nowt official, so let's not get carried away just yet, but Aston Villa have something of a central defensive injury crisis.

Three of the recognised four centre halves - Richard Dunne (groin), Nathan Baker (ankle) and Ciaran Clark (knee) are out.

RICHARD DUNNE

Left-back Joe Bennett is suspended following his red card against Norwich on Saturday.

Jordan Bowery and Ashley Westwood are cup-tied having played in the competition for Chesterfield and Crewe.

Manager Paul Lambert likely to make a few changes - Darren Bent and Shay Given are likely to come back in

6:23pm

TEAM NEWS

Nothing official until around 7pm but here's a snippet of what we know ahead of the formal announcements of the teams.

The big news for Swindon Town is that Andy Williams could return to the bench after a calf strain. Williams has missed the last four matches.

ANDY WILLIAMS

Nathan Thompson could also be included after shrugging off the effects of an ankle knock but Federico Bessone, John Bostock and Alan Navarro are out.

Finally, on-loan duo Adam Rooney and Darren Ward are cup-tied for the clash having played for their respective clubs in the earlier rounds of the Capital One Cup.

6:20pm

6:18pm

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan knows getting past Swindon Town will be no easy task for his Aston Villa teammates tonight.

But he is determined to secure passage to the quarter-finals and take a step closer to Wembley.

BRAD GUZAN

“We want to win whenever we go out and the Swindon game will be no different,” he said.

“We want to get ourselves into the hat for the next round and if we can do that job well done - that is going to be the main thing.

“A few years ago when we made it to Wembley that was quite exciting."

6:16pm

6:15pm

James Collins comes up against his former club tonight in one of the biggest games of his fledgling career.

On Monday, he told the Advertiser what he thinks Villa’s biggest threats are going into the game.

He said: “Up front they’ve got a lot of pace in Agbonlahor and Bent and they’ve got pace on the wings as well so at the back we’ve got to be steady and wary of the extra bit of quality that the Premiership gives.

JAMES COLLINS

“The lads are more than capable of dealing with that.”

Collins also suggested how Town can hurt their Premier League guests.

He said: “If we get it in wide areas and get the balls in the box, I know they’ve got a couple of injuries and they had the left-back sent off at the weekend.

“If we can get the ball out to our wingers, because we’ve got some very good wingers at the club, and get balls into the box and keep the pressure on them then I think we can trouble them.”

6:12pm

YOUR SAY

6:12pm

YOUR SAY

6:08pm

6:08pm

ADVER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "It's going to be hard to keep journalist principles sound and remain as unbiased as possible tonight.

"In 18 years following Swindon Town as a fan and sports writer, there haven't been many games I have looked forward to quite as much as tonight.

SAM MORSHEAD

"Paolo Di Canio's Robins have been immense in the Capital One Cup this season in beating three teams from higher divisions in three rounds, and in Aston Villa they have been offered the chance of making it four from four this evening.

"In front of a capacity crowd, with volume turned up to max, this is set to be a memorable occasion and one that - if Town are successful - will live in Swindon hearts and souls forever."

6:05pm

YOUR SAY

Remember ‘Matchday Live’ is not just about us spouting nonsense for five hours at a time. It’s a forum for Swindon Town fans’ views on everything going on at SN1 at present.

Whether it’s Paolo Di Canio’s team selection or lukewarm coffee in the Don Rogers, we want to hear from you.

And there are plenty of ways to get involved over the course of the evening – all of which are conveniently listed below.

l Twitter – if you’re Tweet-friendly then use the hashtag #stfcadver to have your say, and follow chief sports writer Sam Morshead (@SamMorshead_SA) throughout the game for up-to-the-second commentary.

l Comment – the box below is ready for use. If the comments are sensible and clean then they may well find themselves inserted into the live blog later in the evening.

l Email – you can always pop us an email, just send your ramblings across to smorshead@swindonadvertiser.co.uk.

Get involved!

6:04pm

Only joking.

Welcome ladies and gentleman to the Advertiser's live coverage of the Capital One Cup fourth-round clash between Swindon Town and Aston Villa.

In front of a full house, Town will be hoping to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition with yet another giant-killing.

Beating sides from a higher level has almost become common practice for the Robins under Paolo Di Canio, and they'll be looking to beat a third Premier League side under his reign tonight.

It is all set up to be a colossal struggle at the County Ground, and you can follow all the build-up, match updates and reaction right here.

If you're not at the ground, this is the only place to be for the best coverage of what is poised to be a memorable evening.

Buckle up, enjoy the ride.

6:00pm

Apparently there's a game on this evening.

2:30pm

Join chief sports writer Sam Morshead and sports writer Andy Warren for a special extended version of the Adver's matchday coverage of Swindon Town. All the best build-up followed by in-play updates and reaction from 6pm.