Forest Green Rovers can climb out of the League Two basement on Friday when they head to the County Ground for a date with Swindon Town.
On Boxing Day, the Robins gave up an early goal at home to Wrexham and could not recover, losing 1-0 and falling down to 15th in the table, while the Green dropped to the bottom of the league thanks to a 4-2 defeat at Newport County.
Match preview
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Another poor showing in front of goal proved to be too much for Swindon Town to overcome, with the side from Wiltshire having now lost four consecutive league fixtures.
Michael Flynn's men had their opportunities but could not put them away despite having a man-advantage for the final 16 minutes plus stoppage time of that encounter, failing to score in three of their previous four competitive fixtures at the County Ground.
The Robins have lost their last eight matches in all competitions when conceding the opening goal, failing to respond with a goal themselves the last three times they went 1-0 down.
This is the second time in 2023-24 that they find themselves on a four-match losing run, though they have not lost five successive domestic encounters since being relegated from League One in 2016-17.
While this month has been a nightmare for them, things are still relatively tight in the middle of the table as only three points separate them in 15th from Bradford City, who are 10th.
Swindon Town have won their last four matches in all competitions versus the Green Army, holding them to a goal or fewer in each of those triumphs.
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The first match as full-time manager began positively for Troy Deeney but ended with another disappointment for the club, as Newport County wiped away a 2-0 half-time deficit, scoring four times on the Green in the final half-hour.
Ultimately, a 51st-minute red card proved costly, as Forest Green are winless in their last six league fixtures, while they are now a point behind Sutton United at the bottom of the table.
Meanwhile, the deficit to avoid relegation is even greater as the Green find themselves seven points below that line, though they have played two fewer games than Colchester United, who currently hold that final place in League Two for next season.
Throughout this month, the Green have struggled to maintain their early momentum, conceding six of their last seven goals in the final 45 minutes, while eight of their 12 goals conceded in December have occurred in the second half.
Two of their four domestic victories this season have taken place away from home, though they have collected just one point in their last seven away fixtures in this competition.
Their only three victories against Swindon Town have taken place at the County Ground, with the last one occurring during the 2019-20 campaign (2-0).
Team News
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Lewis Ward started in goal for Swindon on Boxing Day in place of the injured Murphy Mahoney, while Tom Brewitt returned from a knock, coming on for George McEachran just beyond the half-hour mark.
The top goalscorer in League Two, Jake Young, has not found the back of the net in his last four games, with his previous domestic strike occurring in a 4-3 triumph over Accrington Stanley.
In their other encounter with the Green this season, Dan Kemp and Frazer Blake-Tracy scored second-half goals, enabling Swindon Town to claim a 2-1 come-from-behind victory.
Forest Green will be without Callum Jones for this encounter after the Welsh midfielder was given a second caution early in the second half versus Newport County.
An own-goal from Ryan Delaney two minutes into their Boxing Day affair gave them an early lead before Matty Stevens doubled the advantage before the interval, only for Luke Daniels to concede four second-half strikes.
Thanks to a nice set-up from Teddy Jenks, Stevens had their only goal in their earlier meeting with Swindon this season.
Swindon Town possible starting lineup:
Ward; Minturn, Khan, Brewitt; Hutton, Kinsella, Cain, Shade; Kemp; Young, Austin
Forest Green Rovers possible starting lineup:
Daniels; Lavinier, Inniss, Moore-Taylor, Robson; Jenks, Bunker, Brown; McAllister, Stevens, Omotoye
We say: Swindon Town 1-2 Forest Green Rovers
Neither side have been particularly sharp over 90 minutes this month, but we believe the visitors will make life difficult for a Swindon side that seem to be their own worst enemies and where frustration appears to be growing.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
