Aaron Drinan has netted eight league targets for Swindon to date this season and is presently on a six-game scoring streak.
Coventry’s Haji Wright is stage with him, however solely Erling Haaland (9) has scored extra throughout the highest 4 divisions of English soccer.
With simply 10 video games performed, it’s already the 27-year-old’s second-best return in a season in his profession.
The person some Swindon followers are calling ‘Drinaldo’ is making it look simple in the meanwhile; he was a shoo-in for Sky Guess League Two Participant of the Month for September.
However contemplating the Irishman scored simply eight throughout the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons mixed, it’s pure to surprise the place this purple patch has come from.
To try this, it’s a must to return to the start of the 12 months.
Following the 3-3 draw with Port Vale on the County Floor on February 8, Drinan didn’t play for the rest of final season.
“It was a PCL [posterior cruciate ligament] injury and I was out for three-and-a-bit months,” he tells Sky Sports activities.
“I was starting to pick up form and feeling in a really good place where I was contributing, then the injury came out of nowhere. I tried to flick a ball in and my knee decided to lock.
“Initially, I went to see a specialist to see if it wanted surgical procedure, however he simply mentioned it may heal by itself.
“I was in a brace for maybe seven weeks, so I had to continue doing rehab in that off-season.”
Solely Erling Haaland has scored extra targets within the high 4 divisions than Aaron Drinan to date in 2025/26 (Picture: Callum Knowles)
As soon as he was match, however earlier than he signed a brand new two-year contact, Drinan needed to movie himself doing Ian Holloway’s punishing health check, identified ominously as ‘The Run’.
“It was a bit of a mad one when I was told!” he says, recoiling in his chair as he recollects the shuttle run of 20 yards, 40, 60, 80, 100 – and again down once more.
“But I was back running and sprinting at that time and I didn’t really mind because I was in that fitness block anyway.
“I used to be again house [in Ireland], however nobody was round and I wanted to attempt file it. I simply put my cellphone in a shoe and I used to be simply operating up and down the pitch.”
It would never have seemed that way at the time, but the injury does seem to have been a blessing in disguise for Drinan.
The 27-year-old is in his second full season at Swindon (Picture: Callum Knowles)
“It was important to get the off-season right to get that fire in my belly to try and get back into a team who finished off the season really well.
“However not finishing a full season, the place my physique in all probability did not take the beating it could’ve performed if I did play the ultimate three-and-a-half months, meant I used to be in a position to hold my physique simply ticking over in the summertime. I do assume it is performed me good.”
Drinan did miss the 1-0 win over Newport on October 4 with an Achilles criticism, however the Robins weren’t in motion in the course of the worldwide break, so he can have had greater than a fortnight to get better.
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Highlights of the Sky Guess League One between Newport County and Swindon City
He thinks there’s extra to come back.
“When my confidence is this high and with the way I’m playing and converting chances, I feel like I can continue doing it,” he provides.
“The manager talks about freedom on the pitch to go and do what you want and feel what you need in the game. That has freed me up and it’s freed a lot of the boys up and I think we’re thriving off that.
“When the crew’s enjoying properly, you are greater than probably going to get probabilities. In case you requested me initially of season, I at all times knew I may have a superb begin to the season, however I did not in all probability anticipate it to be this good.”
He has his eyes on the magic 20-goal milestone now, which might surpass the 16 he scored for Leyton Orient in 2021/22.
However, even at this early stage, he’s focusing on one thing to go alongside it. Swindon are second in League Two, with a recreation in hand, in spite of everything.
“If you can win the league, that’s fully the best season you can have.
“Personally, if I am contributing the targets I’m to that, then I can set my eyes on getting to twenty, which I consider I can.
“If you’re touching 20 and you win a league or even get promotion, as a forward, I don’t think it can really get any better than having a really good goal return and achieving something as a team alongside it.”
If Drinan retains this type up, Swindon could be on their manner again to League One.
