Aaron Drinan: Swindon Town’s Attacking Talisman
Swindon Town defender Will Wright joked in October after a 2-2 draw at home to Notts County that last season he could not hit a barn door. At that early stage of the season, the goals were flying in for the striker nicknamed by us Swindon fans as “Drinaldo” after an Posterior Cruciate Ligament injury curtailed the last three months of the 2024/25 season and there was jeopardy that he could have played his last game for the club.
Aaron Drinan was one of a few key Swindon Town players that were out of contract last season. In the summer, Drinan signed a two-year contract to take his contract to the summer of 2027. After the PCL picked up in a 3-3 home draw against Port Vale in mid-February 2025, this season he has been a goal scoring machine.
Following Harry Smith’s season-ending ACL injury at home to Barnet on the 19th of August, it was matchday four and Swindon Town’s attacking options had gone in smoke. Drinan held his hands up to lead the line and had a wonderful first half of the season, although he missed the game away at Newport in the first weekend in October.
Swindon Town won the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ollie Palmer, who was brought in before the summer transfer deadline to strengthen the attack after Smith’s injury. Between the opening game of the season, which was a defeat at Walsall 2-1, and the Newport County game, Drinan had netted eight goals in ten games.
It was a hot start to the season for Drinan, who bagged a goal in their opener vs. Cambridge United, the opener in a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury, before scoring in the next six games against Crewe Alexandra, Barrow, a double against Harrogate Town, and goals vs. Salford City and Bromley. Drinan returned back to injury for the 4-0 defeat away at Accrington Stanley after the October international break.
Three days later was the re-arranged home game against Notts County that was supposed to have been played of the weekend off 11th October. The game finished 2-2, Drinan was the hero for Swindon Town with a late equaliser to salvage a point, although a red card for violent conduct in the first round of the FA Cup away at Rotherham was a sour note.
The game was heading to extra time when Drinan was sent off for a punch to the chest of Rotherham United’s Dan Gore. Swindon Town would win the tie in extra time thanks to goal from Darren Oldaker. Three days later in the Football League Trophy, Swindon Town travelled to MK Dons for the final group game. Drinan was not involved in the first two games after being rested, but he made up for his red card three days previously by netting the first hat-trick in the season in 4-0 away win for Swindon Town.
A second hat-trick of the season followed in round two of the FA Cup where Swindon Town was at home to League One side Bolton Wanderers, with Drinan making it a perfect hat-trick alongside Joe Snowdown’s goal. After bagging a right-footed penalty, Drinan fired in a header from close range before putting the icing on the top: a thirty-yard lob with his weaker foot.
Swindon Town and Aaron Drinan were imperious form that Saturday afternoon in early December. He managed to pick up a second expulsion of the season by picking up two yellow cards — one for celebrating in front of the home supporters, the other for simulation after a clear foul — with Swindon prevailing 3-0 in the West Country derby vs Bristol Rovers and Drinan firing in the third goal.
Drinan would miss the next two games at home to Crawley and away at MK Dons on Boxing Day before ending 2026 with a goal in a 2-0 away win at local rivals Cheltenham which kicked off another hot streak for the striker. He scored seven goals in the next eight games against Cheltenham Town, Gillingham, Salford City, Barrow, Harrogate Town and Oldham Athletic. In the middle of the run, Swindon Town were kicked out of the EFL Trophy for fielding an ineligible player in Ollie Clarke against Luton Town, with Clarke incurring an eight-match suspension earlier in the season.
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Drinan was also named on the substitute bench and came on for the last for the second half, but he was not named on the team sheet handed into the referee. He was, however, on the team sheet on social media: Swindon Town won the game 2-1 but was kicked out of the tournament. Luton Town was reinstated and won the tournament on the 12th April, beating Stockport County at Wembley.
In February, just days after the Oldham Athletic home win, Drinan signed a contract extension to the summer of 2028, a reward for his fine form. The extension came shortly after Swindon rejected two bids for Drinan, the first for £250,000 and the second for £400,000: Salford City did not follow up with a third bid. However, rather than kicking on and taking a further step in the race for promotion, Swindon dropped out of the top three due in large part to Drinan’s drop-off in form.
Swindon Town have changed the style from a footballing side to more of a long ball route one side in the last few months of the season. The team has struggled massively as Drinan has taken a step back following his extension, ending a five-game scoreless run with a penalty goal at Crawley Town in March 7, only for Crawley to equalize in the 98th minute and snatch a point. After assisting in the following defeat vs. MK Dons, Drinan scored from the Robins’ first shot on target to pave the way for a 2-0 win at Gillingham.
He would have to wait another three weeks before finding the back of the net: with the game drifting to a home defeat vs. Walsall, January recruitment Fletcher Holman scored an 81st-minute equaliser. This spurred Swindon’s Easter Monday renaissance, with Ollie Palmer playing the ball to Drinan, who was blocked by former Swindon Town defender Aden Flint. Holman picked up the ball and played in the onrushing Drinan to score into an empty net.
Bedlam ensued at the Nigel Eady County Ground, as Swindon snatched a late winner to propel themselves with an opportunity of automatic promotion. However, it all came crumbling down just a few days later as Swindon were put to the sword in a 3-0 defeat at Colchester United. Drinan rebounded with a 20th-minute goal vs. Accrington Stanley, but it wasn’t enough as Luke Butterfield equalized at the final second. And after blanking in a 4-0 defeat at Grimsby Town, Drinan assisted Ben Middlemas’ equalizer in a 2-1 loss vs. Chesterfield.
It wasn’t quite enough for Swindon to get over the line, finishing ninth in the table — three points behind Grimsby in the final playoff spot — and condemning themselves to yet another year in England’s fourth tier. Nevertheless, it was enough to see Drinan cement his reputation as one of the top players in the lower leagues. Drinan racked up 28 goals and 7 assists in 46 appearances, with his 22 league goals seeing him win both the Golden Boot as well as the EFL League Two Player of the Year.
As one of the four League Two players shortlisted in the top 50 EFL players from FourFourTwo’s May edition alongside Bromley’s Mitch Pinnock and Omar Sowumni and MK Dons’ Callum Paterson, as well as the highest-ranked player from League Two (#37), Drinan has proven his value both to Swindon fans and neutrals. He’s hitting the best form of his life at 28 years old, but now, can the Cork native help Swindon bounce back and challenge for promotion in 2026/27?
By: Scot Munroe / @scot_munroe
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Izzy Poles – AMA / Getty Images