Wellens praises Swindon players for second-half display

Posted Sunday, December 15, 2019 by PA

Swindon manager Richie Wellens praised his side’s second-half performance after the League Two leaders saw off struggling Oldham 2-0.

Goals from Kaiyne Woolery and Eoin Doyle stretched Swindon’s winning run to seven matches.

Wellens said: “Fair play to Oldham, they put a high press, we just kept on trying to play through the press.

“We didn’t earn any right in the first half, or the second half, to play through them. Credit to them because the conditions were tough, but I’m disappointed in the first half.

“I think in the second half we turned up the pace and did all the ugly stuff, I thought we did it really well and probably should have added a few more goals.

“Kaiyne Woolery was very good, Jerry Yates was excellent and Eoin Doyle got his goal.

“Effectiveness of the players in the second half was pleasing, but the performance wasn’t anywhere the level we’ve set in recent weeks.”

A match with little entertainment came to life first-half stoppage time when Woolery collected an excellent lofted ball by Michael Doughty before getting the ball into his stride and lashing home from a tight angle.

The second half was not much better but Doyle scored for the ninth game on the trot, his 12th during that streak, five minutes from time to seal the points.

Bradford loanee Doyle found the net with a curled effort from the edge of the box to kill off the game.

Oldham did not overly test Steven Benda in the Swindon goal but the German needed to tip a long-range shot from Jamie Stott over the bar in the first half and Alex Lacovitti will wonder how he failed to make it 1-1 early in the second half.

A low ball in from the right evaded the Swindon defence and Lacovitti somehow contrived to miss a simple tap-in at the far post.

Oldham manager Dino Maamria said: “We absolutely battered them between the two boxes but they are top of the league because they are clinical.

“We had much easier chances to score and the attacking third was the difference today. Between the two boxes it was easily our best game of the season.

“We’re very disappointed we didn’t score two or three in the first half.

“We know we’re lacking goals, we need someone to put it in the back of the net but as a team we pressed them hard, we stopped them playing, we dominated the ball.

“The goal came at the wrong time but we didn’t change anything in the second half. The biggest disappointment is that we gifted them that second goal.”