HALF TIME: Swindon Town 1 Port Vale 0 (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

HALF TIME: Swindon Town 1 Port Vale 0

3:54pm Saturday 28th April 2012 in Sport By Andy Warren

SWINDON are well on their way to securing the League Two title as a superb Matt Ritchie goal has put Town 1-0 up at home to Port Vale.

Loanee John Bostock kept the ball in well and laid it back to the midfielder who fired in a rocket of a shot from the edge of the area to give his side the lead.

Bostock has combined well with Paul Benson in attack, while Simon Ferry has controlled much of the game from the centre of midfield.

But the visitors had a few early chances in what has been a fairly even half, but Tom Pope and Sean Rigg couldn’t hit the target, while captain Marc Richards has always posed a threat.

If Town can hold onto their winning position they will make sure of the League Two title.

Here are the key moments from the first half.

2 mins: Matt Ritchie swings a ball into the box which Paul Benson can’t quite connect with.

6 mins: The first real chance falls to the visitors’ Tom Pope, but the striker can’t direct his header goalwards.

17 mins: Matt Ritchie earns a free kick but shoots straight at the wall, and when the ball comes back to him he fires over the bar.

28 mins: John Bostock shoots from distance, but his effort is well wide.

31mins: Simon Ferry tries his luck from distance, but his effort is well wide.

37mins: Aden Flint makes a hash of a clearance before underselling his back pass to Foderingham, but the keeper is out well to halt Marc Richards.

38mins: GOAL 1-0 TOWN (Ritchie) Bostock keeps the ball in well, before pulling it back for Ritchie who fires in an unstoppable shot to give his side the lead.