<b>Full time Tuesday January 1st </b> (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Full time Tuesday January 1st

8:06am Wednesday 2nd January 2008 in Football By Dave Wallis

Match report from the County Ground, Swindon

Coca Cola League One

Fulltime Swindon Town 1 Swansea City 1

The one o'clock kick-off may have been delayed for 15 minutes, but there were New Year fireworks at the County Ground with this League One fixture that pitched the Robins against the Swans of Swansea City, and it took less than 30 seconds for Lee Peacock to shoot wide of the visitors' right hand post to signal the home sides' intent.

The game was ten minutes old when a flowing move saw Jamie Vincent fire a dangerous looking cross to the near post after a prolonged midfield interchange, then Guillem Bauza scuffed a shot from 15 yards straight at Peter Brezovan in the Town goal.

Swindon were winning the early midfield exchanges with Sofi Zaaboub always looking to get involved. Craig Easton drove into the midriff of De Vries just before a quarter an hour was up, then Bauza lifted the ball over Brezovan for the ball to be shepherded for a corner by Miguel Comminges.

But on 20 minutes the game took a definitive twist.

Of the ball, Garry Monk appeared to step on Town striker Barry Corr's foot, and when the big Irishman retaliated, referee Melin waved an immediate red card to send Swindon's front man for an early bath.

A difficult task against the league leaders had just been made much harder for Town, leaving Simon Cox up front on his own.

Caretaker managers Dave Byrne and Ady Williams acted by sacrificing the dangerous Zaaboub in favour of Billy Paynter, an action which didn't appear to go down too well with the disgruntled Frenchman and a move that saw Town resort to a three man midfield.

Jason Scotland drove the ball into the side netting for the Swans, then Miguel Comminges' cross was gratefully clutched by De Vries.

Paynter fired well over the bar as halftime approached, as Swindon successfully restricted the visitors to efforts from long range. Bauza tried his luck from 30 yards, then Darren Pratley tried a volley from the same distance, but Brezovan was more than a match for either attempt.

Halftime Swindon Town 0 Swansea City 0

Halftime saw the introduction of Michael Pook for Easton for Town, and it was the substitute's throw to Cox that produced a corner that Jerel Ifil just failed to connect with. Despite the numerical disadvantage Swindon were continuing to put up a good display, with the midfield working like Trojans to redress the balance.

But danger was never far away. Scotland's glancing header just cleared Brezovan's cross bar, then both Kristian O'Leary and Angel Rangel tried desperate shots from distance as belief grew in the Swindon number.

Pook shot wide at the other end after 68 minutes, then Cox had a shot charged down, but Rangel then scampered down the right and toed a ball past Brezovan but wide of the Swindon far post.

City were now claiming more territorial advantage and Brezovan produced a breathtaking save at the base of his right post to deny Swansea and keep the score line goalless.

Substitute Kaid Mohamed's far post header from a Jon-Paul McGovern free kick just evaded Paynter, but with just four minutes of regular time remaining, the game took what looked like a vital turn.

With Swindon forced ever deeper, a shot was desperately charged down by Paynter, but the loose ball ran straight to Thomas Butler who lashed it past Brezovan from 20 yards, leaving the Town keeper with no chance and finally breaking the deadlock.

Town's spirit could so easily have been broken with so little time left, but Comminges forced a corner almost immediately and McGovern's set piece was headed off the Swansea line for another. This time it was Comminges himself who produced the goal bound header that was again cleared from under the bar, but still the action wasn't over.

With the fourth official indicating four minutes of added time, Bauza rattled Brezovan's cross bar with venom, then Comminges' shot was pawed over the bar for a corner at the other end.

Up for the set piece, Town skipper Hasney Aljofree appeared to be hauled to the ground in the penalty box but referee Melin remained unimpressed as time slipped away. Then came the greatest drama so far.

Simon Cox slipped into the box for what looked like the last attempt for Town, was impeded as he challenged for the ball, and this time Melin pointed to the spot. Furious Swansea defenders contested the decision leaving De Vries with a yellow card as he tried to disrupt concentration, but it was Cox, playing his last game on loan from Reading before returning to Berkshire, who crashed the ball past the despairing dive of De Vries and send the County Ground into hysteria.

Incredibly, the last two entries into Melin's book came in the 97th minute as Cox and Monk were shown yellow cards, but this was no ordinary afternoon of football action. The point was Town's eighth over the festive season and the manner of it's claiming left fans feeling more akin to having witnessed a win rather than a draw.

Fulltime Swindon Town 1 Swansea City 1

Swindon Town: Peter Brezovan, Miguel Comminges, Jerel Ifil, Hasney Aljofree, Jamie Vincent, Jon-Paul McGovern, Lee Peacock (Mohamed 65), Craig Easton (Pook ht), Sofiene Zaaboub (Paynter 27), Simon Cox (y 97), Barry Corr (r 20). Subs: Andrew Nicholas, Michael Pook, Billy Paynter, Blair Sturrock, Kaid Mohamed.

Swansea City: Dorus De Vries (y 95), Marcos Painter (y 95), Dennis Lawrence, Garry Monk (capt) (y 97), Angel Rangel, Thomas Butler, Kristian O'Leary, Darren Pratley (y 49), Paul Anderson (Britton 51), Jason Scotland (Robinson 63), Guillem Bauza. Subs: Alan Tate, Leon Britton, Andrea Orlandi, Darryl Duffy, Andy Robinson.

Attendance: 9,426

Referee: Paul Melin