New Signings Clarke And Magera To Lead The Line?

Scoring goals in football is absolutely crucial. Whether it's last minute winners that send supporters into elations and jubilance or mere consolations to aid a club's goal difference come the end of the season, football is a game won and lost on goals.

A significant factor in Swindon's eventual relegation saw them score just 50 goals in a 46 game season. Scorer of twelve of those goals Charlie Austin left in January and as a result, Town managed only thirteen goals from then until the end of the season.

And whilst Town have thus far managed four goals from four league games, all but one of those came in the opening game of the season and, what's more, none have been scored by a Swindon striker. That means despite the combined efforts of Rafaelle De Vita, Alan Connell, Billy Bodin and Mehdi Kerrouche, all are yet to appear on the scoresheet for Swindon.

Indeed each of the strikers' respective goalscoring records at Swindon and their previous clubs are questionable. Originally a trainee at Blackburn, De Vita failed to make a first team appearance at Ewood Park but seemingly found his level whilst at Livingston, scoring 21 goals in 67 games over a two year period.

The most experienced of the bunch, Connell managed only the second double figures goalscoring season in his eleven year career whilst with Grimsby and yet, despite having only featured in substitute appearances thus far with Town, has looked the most likely to score out of the Robins' current crop of strikers.

Meanwhile, Bodin's youth and inexperience has seen him play just five times for the Town first team and whilst it would be unfair to judge him  on statistics alone, the youngster has looked unlikely to score and more destined for the left wing position he is often deployed to when playing for Swindon's reserves (last season) and the Wales under-21's.

Finally, Algerian striker Kerrouche has had a fairly modest career to date, with spells in the United Arab Emirates, Portugal and France scoring just a hatful of goals for each of the five clubs he has previously played for.

They say statistics don't lie and it seems Town manager Paolo Di Canio is a firm believer in such a cliche as his strikers' lack of goals and, visible in each of the Robins' four performances so far this season, a lack of a cutting edge up front,  have prompted him into dipping into the transfer market once more and reinforcing his striking options with the signings of two more forwards and, he hopes, goalscorers.

As far as transfer sagas go, Leon Clarke's on-off move to Swindon isn't in the same league as Cesc Fabregas' three year battle to leave Arsenal or even Chelsea's persistent pursuit of Luka Modric. And yet, when the striker finally completed his move to Town on Friday, the optimism surrounding his signing of a two-year contract was, perhaps not as high as that of Catalans jubilant at Fabregas' signing, but unusually high for a striker yet to fulfill his potential.

Clarke arrives at the County Ground having seen his contract at QPR cancelled as a result of their promotion to the Premiership and recent takeover. The 26 year old came up through the ranks at Wolverhampton Wanderers and even scored on his first team debut for them, but his career has since drfited from loan spell to loan spell with each of his only other permanent employers deeming him largely surplus to requirements.

Despite his obvious desire to join Town, Di Canio's move to sign Clarke was originally thwarted by the striker's wage demands, with the Italian even claiming that affording him whilst still under contract at QPR was nigh on impossible. His release from said contract following Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes' successful takeover of the West London club though has allowed him to join Swindon on a free transfer - a considerable coup for Town.

It's Clarke's decision, however, to drop from the promise land of the Premier League to the lows of League Two football that has surprised most. The lure of the 'Di Canio effect' seems to have finally surfaced and after making an impressive debut performance in the defeat to Oxford, Clarke looks increasingly likely to be Swindon's main man up front.

Watching that game from the stands was Town's second striking acquisition in the space of four days; Lukas Magera. The six foot, four inches hitman is a full Czech Republic international (yes Czech Republic, not the Togo's, Trinidad's or other international minnows Swindon have had players capped for) and played most recently for Romanian side Politehnica Timişoara, for whom he featured in Europa League action in 2009.

Magera's move to Swindon has seemingly stemmed from Poli's dire financial straits that has cost them their place in the Romanian top division, with Town benefitting from their inability to afford the Czech's contract by securing his services on a two year deal.

The arrivals of Magera and Clarke, meanwhile, are set to allow Billy Bodin a temporary move elsewhere, with the youngster requesting a loan opportunity in order to play first team football. And with Di Canio declaring his intent to further trim what is now a large squad, any of Swindon's goalless strikers could also be in the firing line, quite literally, if their form and the team's does not pick up.