MATCH REPORT: Swindon Town (2) Hartlepool United (1)

A pair of early strikes proved to be enough for Swindon as they beat bottom of the table Hartlepool United 2-1. Total Sport’s Joe Acklam reports on the game at the County Ground.

Jonny Williams and Luke Jephcott both got on the end of crosses early in the game to get Swindon into a commanding lead, before Clarke Odour got Hartlepool back into the game inside half an hour.

Town had plenty of late chances to make the game safe but failed to convert any of them as they once again won by a single goal.

A second straight win has moved Swindon into the play-off places and above Tuesday’s opponents Bradford City into fifth place.

Scott Lindsey opted for an unchanged line-up for the second straight week as the starting 11 which featured against Stevenage and Colchester carried into a third consecutive league match.

It was an incredibly ponderous opening ten minutes at the County Ground, with no action at either end until Ben Gladwin cut back onto his left foot and curved his cross through a gap in the defence to find an unmarked Williams at the back post to tap in the opener.

Jephcott soon doubled their advantage when Remeao Hutton breezed passed his marker and swung an inviting cross into the near post for the on-loan striker to flick into the far corner.

It could have been three after 25 minutes when Blake-Tracy had space on the left side of the box and his pull back came to Gladwin, but he couldn’t quite find space for a shot.

Just a minute later Hartlepool got back into the game as Mouhammed Niang got the better of Mathieu Baudry to get in behind the Swindon defence and his pull back found Odour to side foot the ball passed Sol Brynn.

Hartlepool could even have been level ten minutes later as Callum Cooke ran straight through the Swindon defence, but before he could take a shot Brynn got out to him and to shut down any danger.

Baudry displayed his sublime passing range in first half stoppage time when he scooped the ball over the whole Hartlepool defence to let Williams run in behind, but his shot on the turn was dragged wide of the mark.

The second half also began at walking pace and it took a while for a chance to be created, but after 68 minutes it came when Gladwin hit a perfect cross field ball to Hutton and his first time cross picked out Jephcott, but on the stretch he diverted it over the top.

It was déjà vu as moments later Hutton again crossed low across goal and Jephcott nudged it on only for the ball to fractionally elude Jacob Wakeling at the far post.

Baudry could have put the game away just before 80 minutes when Gladwin’s corner found him in the middle only for his header to be saved by Ben Killip.

Then Hartlepool went up the other end and substitute Mohammed Sylla could have made Swindon pay as he received a cut back from the right only to be spectacularly denied by Brynn.

Saidou Khan was not given a late penalty as he charged into the box and seemed to get to the ball ahead of the defender and was sent tumbling, but the referee gave a corner.

In the last minute of normal time Swindon had two big chances to seal it as Wakeling went through on goal omly for the defender to get back and prod the ball away from him, but it was only cleared as far as Saidou Khan who got round the side but the keeper denied him with his legs.