Preston - 1 (Buchanan '51)
TOWN drew 1-1 with Preston North End at The County Ground as they began life under interim managers Tommy Miller and Darren Ward.
After falling behind, Adam Rooney rescued a point with a neat finish in the second half.
The interim management duo named themselves in a side that only saw one change from the team that had won on Tuesday night at Tranmere. With Miles Storey absent through injury, Andy Williams stepped into his place to lead the attack with James Collins. Luke Rooney was back among the substitutes alongside Louis Thompson and Aaron Oakley.
In a first half of very few chances Town’s best chance came through player-manager Tommy Miller after just six minutes. Andy Williams twisted and turned on the right hand edge of the area before lofting a ball into space inside the box. Miller burst through from midfield and made a solid connection with the header only for Declan Rudd in the Preston goal to react brilliantly and turn the ball away to safety.
After the bright start the match deteriorated into a midfield battle with neither side able to gain a foothold in the final third. While Foderingham was only claiming routine high balls or mopping up stray passes at one end, Roberts missed a chance for Swindon at the other. A clearance by one of the visitors’ centre-halves only dropped to Roberts on the right hand edge of the box. His eventual right-footed effort was slightly miscued and it flew across the face of goal and wide.
Six minutes into the second half the visitors took the lead. Town allowed a cross to be knocked back across goal and when the ball dropped to Buchanan he rifled home from inside the six yard box.
Roberts and Collins then both went close as Town went looking for a way back into the match.
Then with 15 minutes to play, substitute Adam Rooney hauled Swindon level. After replacing Raffa De Vita seconds earlier, Rooney made the most of a defensive mix-up, latched onto the loose ball and calmly stroked the ball into the corner.
Roared on by the home crowd, Town went hunting for a winner. Their best chance dropped to Aden Flint who met a corner with his head and watched as Rudd denied him with a neat reflex save. As the ball was recycled, Alan Navarro blazed over from Tommy Miller’s cut-back.
Swindon Town: Wes Foderingham; Alan McCormack (Capt), Aden Flint, Darren Ward, Jay McEveley; Raffaele De Vita, Simon Ferry, Tommy Miller, Gary Roberts; Andy Williams, James Collins
Substitutes: Leigh Bedwell, Alan Navarro, Nathan Thompson, Adam Rooney, Luke Rooney, Aaron Oakley, Louis Thompson
Preston North End: Declan Rudd, Keith Keane, Paul Huntington, Nicky Wroe, Lee Holmes, David Buchanan, John Welsh (Capt), Jack King, Will Hayhurst, Bailey Wright, Stuart Beavon
Substitutes: Thorsten Stuckmann, Chris Robertson, Joe Garner, Jeffrey Monakana, Andy Proctor, Chris Beardsley, John Mousinho
