Kaiyne Woolery adds extra dimension to potent Town attack as substitutes made a point

After a match-saving strike against Exeter City at the County Ground this weekend, he looks well worth the wait.

Town chief David Flitcroft has slowly put together a side capable of challenging in the upper echelons of League Two this season and Woolery may well be the missing piece of the puzzle.

It is still early days but Swindon appear much more robust at the back and tenacious in midfield than at any point during the previous campaign.

Town boss David Flitcroft has a joke with former County Ground man Lee Holmes. 

But it will always be goals that define the credentials of a team battling for honours and it looks like Town will have those in abundance this season.

Another new signing, Paul Mullin, has already got two in three games, Luke Norris notched on the opening day a week ago and threatened again against Exeter, while Woolery has hit the ground running too.

Given the combination of travel time, Woolery’s late arrival and an injury to Norris, Town had limited opportunities to work on attacking systems in the build-up to the Grecians game.

However, sometimes partnerships just work and the instant clicking of the combination between Norris and Woolery – with Mullin, Harry Smith, John Goddard, James Brophy, Chris Hussey and many more playing their part too – Swindon supporters should be giddy with anticipation about the problems their side can cause opponents this term.

Substitute Woolery gets the ball under control. 

After racking up the miles in the opening week of the season during trips to Carlisle United and Norwich City, Town can be forgiven for falling somewhat flat early on as they came out for their maiden appearance on home soil.

There was just not the sharpness and intensity that had epitomised their play at Brunton Park and Carrow Road as legs understandably looked a little leggy.

Having said that, they were still somewhat unfortunate to trail at the break, with the woodwork playing a big part in the Grecians opener just before the half-hour mark.

Town goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux made a tremendous diving save to push away Reuben Reid’s dipping effort following a swift Exeter counter.

However, his heroics were nullified by the post, as the ball cannoned back into play straight to Liam McAlinden, who smashed into an unguarded net from close range.

After firing up his troops during the interval against the Canaries in midweek, Flitcroft pulled off the same feat on Saturday and Woolery’s cool finish to level the scores was the least they deserved from a superb second-half turnaround.

Midfielder James Dunne goes sliding in to win the ball.

Woolery had to wait for his Town debut after only being named amongst the substitutes, with Donal McDermott instead given his maiden outing in Swindon colours from the kick-off.

The wideman has been held back by injury over the opening week of the campaign but was one of two changes made by Flitcroft to the side that lost narrowly to Championship team Norwich in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

McDermott and Amine Linganzi came in at the expense of Goddard and Conor Thomas, the latter missing a place in the matchday 18 altogether due to injury.

Norris took a place alongside Woolery on the bench after the striker made a rapid recovery from a dislocated shoulder suffered in the season opening win at Carlisle a week earlier.

Exeter looked marginally the sharper in the opening exchanges and it was they who sent in the first shot in anger, with Jordan Tillson drilling an effort straight at Vigouroux from the edge of the box inside five minutes.

Harry Smith gets a talking to from referee Darren Drysdale. 

As had been the case in each of their opening two fixtures, Hussey’s set-pieces were a real weapon for Town and his first of the day – a corner – went close to creating the game’s opening goal as Grecians stopper Pym was forced to punch away from under his own crossbar.

Smith was then just off-target for the home side on the quarter-of-an-hour mark, lashing into the side netting after a nice one-two with Ben Purkiss at the back post following Mullin’s low ball in.

Swindon were fortunate not to fall behind midway through the half as a Lee Holmes corner caused chaos in the home box. Vigouroux and Linganzi both hooked away chances off the line before a third was blazed over the top from close range.

At the other end, another Hussey free-kick had the Grecians worried as Pym was forced to make a scrambling save low down but that only served as the catalyst for the visitors to break the deadlock after 28 minutes.

Exeter broke quickly from the set-piece as Town were short of numbers at the back and although Vigouroux pulled off a fine diving save from Reid’s dipping drive, the ball cannoned back off the post and into the path of McAlinden, who rifled into an empty net.

Amine Linganzi finds the net with a header, only for it to be ruled out. 

Town thought they had an instant equaliser when a teasing cross from Brophy was met by the head of Linganzi, which then ricocheted off City full-back Pierce Sweeney and into the back of his own net, only for the effort to be chalked off by linesman.

After that, Exeter looked the most likely to get the next goal before the break as Tillson headed a Sweeney cross narrowly over the top before a nice combination between Reid and McAlinden resulted in the latter sending a curling effort just wide but Town held on to keep the deficit to 1-0.

Town boss Flitcroft rang the changes at the break, introducing Norris and Woolery for Smith and Donal McDermott, although Vigouroux had to be on his toes within two minutes of the restart as he clawed away a Holmes corner as it curled towards his near post.

Swindon gradually began to raise their game and Norris stung the palms of Pym after brushing off the attentions of Jordan Moore-Taylor before cutting inside and sending in a rasping drive.

Liam McAlinden nets his goal against Swindon Town. 

That was the spark the home side needed as they drew level just a minute later, with this time Norris the creator as he spotted an opening in the Grecians defence to send through a perfectly-weighted ball that Woolery latched onto before planting confidently under the on-rushing Pym.

Woolery then went close to a second in almost identical circumstances midway through the half, with Linganzi the man to carve open the visiting back-line with a superb through ball, although Pym stayed big enough to thwart the new Town striker this time.

Having wrestled control of the game, Town were grateful to the post for remaining level with 10 minutes to go as Jack Sparkes’ pot-shot from distance cannoned back off the post with Vigouroux beaten.

Swindon continued to bomb forward in the closing stages, with Linganzi heading over from Mullin’s cross before Vigouroux pulled off a wonderful fingertip save from Holmes at the other end as the contest edged into stoppage time, with the sides having to settle for honours even in the end.