Ten-man Swindon Town were taken apart away at York City

After weathering an early storm, Alex Newby struck a pearler, and Ollie Banks hit a more fortunate effort to give York a comfortable half-time lead.

A raft of substitutions had no real impact, with Mitch Clark’s red card the nail in the coffin before Newby got his second and Pearce tapped in the fourth.

Swindon’s wait for an away win and away goal this season goes on, and they have still won just once on the road on a Saturday in 2026.

Ian Holloway made a surprise choice with his team, deciding to move Billy Kirkman, who started as a centre-back last week, to left wing. Kaelan Majekodunmi and Ben Middlemas also made their expected returns to the side.

That decision could quickly have looked genius, as Middlemas surged through the York half and slipped the ball out to Kirkman. He took a touch into the area and rolled a ball across the six-yard box, but Aaron Drinan could not quite get there.

That same sequence of events played out again inside the opening ten minutes, with Middlemas running away and playing to Kirkman. This time he did find Drinan on the edge of the area, but the ball was behind him and he could get no power on his prodded effort.

An early York corner was headed away at the near post, and Newby came onto it 25 yards from goal. Taking the shot first time on the half volley, he struck a perfect effort that flew into the corner of the net.

To begin, Swindon have perplexed York with their press, but they had found the solution and were putting them under real pressure.

That told again after 26 minutes, as play shifted from right to left and back into the middle. Banks was afforded the space to shoot, and his effort took a wicked deflection to carry the ball away from Connor Ripley and into the net.

When in the first ten minutes, Swindon had swarmed and stifled, Scott Lindsey’s side had figured out the holes they needed to create, and had done so ruthlessly.

Newby and Joe Grey were consistently drifting into space behind the Swindon midfield and creating openings.

Another of these arrived down the right side, with Jeff King rolling a ball to Alex Hunt on the edge of the area, and he narrowly placed his shot wide of the post.

With ten minutes to go in the half, the mistakes were admitted, and Kirkman was replaced by Joseph Hungbo. It made little impact before the break, with The Minstermen continually making mincemeat out of the Swindon press.

Paul Glatzel came on at the break, but things were not looking much brighter. Within five minutes York were away again. Harry Boyes was able to find Banks in far too much space on the edge of the area. His shot again took a deflection, but this time it went onto the top of the bar and over.

They came very close again, this time getting forward down the right and hanging a cross up to the far post, where Boyes got above Clark. His looping header was heading for the top corner, but Ripley got across and dealt with it.

Swindon were, at least, carrying a bit more threat. Hungbo was lively down the right, and Glatzel twice found Drinan in the middle, although he could not pick out the target on either occasion.

But the slim hopes of a comeback were officially extinguished with a quarter of the match to play. Anthony Munda won the ball sliding in on Banks, but the York players did not take well to the force he used. Clark piled in and shoved Banks to the floor, and was duly sent off.

For the second consecutive away day, Swindon had been outclassed, and the scoreline showed it. Newby went weaving through tackles in the box with far too much ease before tucking away a third.

Before the end, it was four, as substitute Joe Felix galloped away and swung in a cross for Pearce to cushion into the net.

There are not many places you would less like to be down a man and down several goals, as Lindsey’s side, all comfortable on the ball, began passing it around them for fun, with the home crowd ole-ing as they went.

The confounding difference between Swindon at the Nigel Eady County Ground and anywhere else goes on, with a second away defeat in League Two out of three.

A team that has been free-scoring in front of their own fans has also failed to find the net away from home. Across three games, they have also had only five shots on target.

YTFC starting XI: McNally, Fallowfield, Kitching, Johnson, Grey, A. Hunt, Pearce, Boyes, King, Banks, Newby.

YTFC substitutes: Sykes-Kenworthy, Medley, Read, Hewitt, Malcolm, Felix, J. Hunt.

STFC starting XI: Ripley, Clark, Negru, Snowdon, Majekodunmi, Drinan, Thomson, Butler, Munda, Kirkman.

STFC substitutes: Ward, Ball, Glatzel, Butterworth, Hungbo, Inwood, Hackford.

Attendance: 8,141 (848 away).