Swindon Town emerged triumphant in an entertaining youth clash against their Bristol Rovers counterparts this weekend.

The Robins fielded a more experienced side that the Pirates, and deservedly secured all three points in what was a well-contested match.

The first goal of the game came after just 11 minutes, when Lloyd Macklin found Adam Everiss who made no mistake in beating Sam Burgess from close range.

Rovers responded well though, and they were level within a minute.

A Jake Rudman cross found the run of Luke Tarling, who made no mistake with a powerful diving header.

Sam Morris restored Swindon's advantage on 20 minutes, and then Macklin slid home a third to make it 3-1 midway through the opening half.

Ben Swallow failed to get the ball away from underneath his feet as half-time edged closer, allowing the alert Macklin to steal in and make it four.

Lewis Claire and Swallow missed chances just before the interval, although Joe White was in the right place at the right time to fire home a Nuno Phoenix delivery early in the second half.

Rovers continued to press in search of more goals, but the scoreline remained unchanged giving Swindon a convincing victory.

Reported by Ian Cole

MATCH SUMMARY

0-1 Adam Everiss 11
1-1 Luke Tarling 12
1-2 Sam Morris 20
1-3 Lloyd Macklin 25
1-4 Lloyd Macklin 38
2-4 Joe White 52

BRISTOL ROVERS: Sam Burgess, Jake Rudman, Ben Swallow, Dan Kayford (Mitch Smit 70), Rob Moore, Luke Tarling, Jordan Cooper, Will Gregory (Bobby Massey 65), Joe White, Lewis Claire (Miekell Plummer 60), Nuno Phoenix

Unused Substitute: Dan O'Brien

MATCH REACTION

Manager Tony Ricketts: "We competed ok and worked hard, but they just had that little bit more quality than us. Three of their side started their last reserve game, whereas we perhaps missed some of that experience.

"They also had Lloyd Macklin playing for them, who was the difference between the sides at times, especially in the first half. He scored two and created the other, and he was a huge plus for them.

"We kept going though, and in the second half we put a few things right and managed to pull a goal back. We didn't throw the towel in at any stage, and we created further chances that could have reduced the scoreline further.

"Overall I don't have any complaints about the effort the boys put in, and although we lost, there were a lot of things to be pleased about."