Football: Cowe wows Swindon
Swindon Town 1 Cowe 24 Bradford City 0 Attendance: 10,029
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Your support makes all the difference.Despite being raddled by injuries and suspensions, Swindon mustered enough character and determination to hold off a persistent Bradford challenge and retain their place at the top of the Nationwide First Division.
Steve Cowe was thrown into the fray as a result of Wayne Allison's late decision to move back to his native Yorkshire with Huddersfield. If Cowe can maintain the day's performance, Allison is not going to be missed. He carried most of the threat to the Bradford defence, emphasised by his splendid, decisive goal in the 26th minute.
Jason Drysdale's dream of a pass travelled all of 50 yards to find Cowe on the right of the Bradford penalty box. The striker gathered the ball confidently and cleanly, veering beyond a tackle to strike his volley high into Gary Walsh's net.
Cowe almost added another on the stroke of half-time when Kevin Watson's well-judged cross was met with a firm header but Walsh did brilliantly to get down and turn it past the post.
In that opening 45 minutes John McGinlay, Bradford's new striker from Bolton, did manage a shot that skimmed the bar, and Tony Warner - filling the home goal on a month's loan from Liverpool - spilled a shot from Peter Beagrie into Edinho's path, but recovered quickly.
Bradford started the second half determined to take the game to their opponents. Warner was equal to all that was demanded of him until he failed to reach a Beagrie cross 10 minutes from time, but Brian Borrows was there to clear the danger. With the minutes ticking away, Borrows again came to the rescue with a timely tackle that blocked McGinlay's shot - the kind of perception that will encourage the Swindon manager Steve McMahon to make his transfer from Coventry permanent.
The only blow for McMahon was the booking of his striker Chris Hay in the second half. Hay is now facing a three-match suspension.
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