Swindon Town have fallen on hard times since a brief membership of the Premier League in 1993-94. Yet, they stuck to their guns throughout an FA Cup third round fixture yesterday but Manchester City ultimately outclassed them. So, we saw Swindon Town impress despite a 1-4 home loss to Manchester City at County Ground on Friday.
In this match (football news), it was academy product Cole Palmer who stole the limelight with a dazzling display.
This included a mesmerizing dribble down the right to set up Bernardo Silva for the opener.
A gift from the Swindon defence then allowed Gabriel Jesus to make it two before the break. Just before the hour mark, in the second half, Ilkay Gundogan curled in a clever low free kick for 0-3.
Swindon player Harry McKirdy’s consolation goal dented City’s perfect score to make it 1-3. But even this singular host goal couldn’t rock Manchester City’s progression to the fourth round.
And finally, just eight minutes before end time, Palmer capped a fine performance with a well-taken goal for 1-4.
“We have him training with us on a daily basis and he has great quality, everyone can see that,” Guardiola’s assistant Rodolfo Borrell told ITV Sport.
“He is a great player, there is a lot of talent there and hopefully very soon he can start to play more minutes with us like Phil Foden did a couple of years ago.”
Swindon Town Impress despite a 1-4 Home Loss to Manchester City
For Swindon, meanwhile, it was a special night even if the result was not the one they had hoped for. They were, after all, playing their first FA Cup third round tie for a decade.
Early last year they were in danger of bankruptcy and suffered a relegation from League One. Then, before the start of this 2021-22 season, they were struggling to pay their staff.
But under manager Ben Garner they have impressed this season with an eye-catching style that they based on possession.
“The players in there it is a great experience for them,” Garner said. “Hopefully there is a few in there who will go on and play in the Premier League. I’d like to think they will.”
So, while Swindon were never going to beat Manchester City at their own game, they remained true to their principles.
