Aaron Drinan’s season-ending injury knee injury has left Swindon Town with a problem with how to replace him, so how do they do without the Irishman?

Ian Holloway has gone about completely reshaping how Swindon attack in the last three months and Drinan had become a load-bearing wall in this new structure. Although he has spent the bulk of his career playing through the middle, the 25-year-old found a new life on the right wing of the 4231 and provided balance to the forward line.

To know how to replace him, you first need to know what hole you are filling. Harry Smith led the line and brought others into play with Danny Butterworth and Tom Nichols looking to create in-between the midfield and defence, and this space was created by Drinan stretching play. A very familiar move saw Swindon play long from the back, Smith chesting it down, and Nichols or Butterworth releasing Drinan, who had already started making the run beyond.

Drinan's season came to an end after Port Vale (Image: Andy Crook)

The real strengths of Drinan’s game had been in creation, his running both with........

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