go a long way in/toward/towards/[(to)?] satisfying

[SuprunP]

The deficiency of end-of-day Point and Figure charts was recognised by A.W. Cohen in 1948. He turned the world of Point and Figure upside down when he came up with an all new method of dealing with end-of-day prices. He advocated the high/low Point and Figure chart, where the daily high and low are used in the construction and the close is ignored completely. This went a long way to satisfying the criticism being levelled at end-of-day Point and Figure charts.
(The Definitive Guide to Point and Figure; Jeremy du Plessis)

My dictionaries register only the following possible forms:

Go a long way in/toward/towards doing something.

Is the form used in the sentence correct?

Thanks.

 

[heypresto]

I'm not sure that it's actually wrong, but, to me, it certainly sounds unnatural. I would prefer ' . . . a long way towards satisfying . . . '

 

[wandle]

'Towards' is correct. 'To', following 'went', implies reaching a destination, which is not the meaning intended.

The writer seems to be mixing up two expressions:
(a) 'went a long way towards satisfying' and (b) 'did a great deal to satisfy'.

In (a), 'to' is the preposition of motion (here, of course, metaphorical).
In (b), it is attached to the verb 'satisfy' and expresses purpose.

 

[SuprunP]

Thank you heypresto and wandle.