SWINDON 1 CITY 3

EVER the perfectionist, the penalty clearly niggled away at Derek Adams.

A clean sheet would have capped off the perfect afternoon for City to emphatically silence the criticism that had increased in volume since the Hartlepool home flop.

But referee Ross Joyce saw otherwise with the award of a soft decision when the ball landed on Paudie O’Connor’s left arm as he was looking to shepherd it out of play.

So, Jack Payne applied the smallest blot on his old club’s copy book – something that did rankle with Adams afterwards.

But in the cold light of day, the Bantams chief could survey a job very well done.

This was the sort of game that the City hierarchy – not to mention the expectant fans - had been banking on when they invested in the two-times League Two promotion winner in the summer.

Solid in defence, lively on the counter, using the ball effectively with minimum waste. “Win uglier” was the pre-match message but this made for beautiful watching for the 425 travelling fans.

“Possession means nothing” is another of the Scot’s mantras that he once again repeated when presented with stats that Swindon had the ball at their feet for over two-thirds of the 90 minutes.

What did they do with it? Adams did not have to pose the question. His team had delivered the answer by restricting one of the most fluid attacking sides in the division to very, very little.

Their only breakthrough came courtesy of the official’s generosity at three down. Otherwise, the back door remained firmly shut.

Adams had won the tactical battle with opposite number Ben Garner by switching to three at the back – the first time City had started like that - with Niall Canavan added to the Paudie O’Connor and Yann Songo’o partnership of the last few weeks.

It was something that had been planned all week – even if Swindon’s return to a back four was not anticipated.

But Adams had another trick up his sleeve before kick-off when he had Oscar Threlkeld and Matty Foulds join O’Connor and Canavan in the warm-up to give the impression of a standard defensive set-up.

“Sometimes you have to be coy and keep that under wraps until the game starts,” smiled Adams. “You can catch teams cold – I’ve been done with that before.”

Canavan’s comeback from a hamstring injury was not so carefully camouflaged. But then he is something of a talisman for City’s fortunes.

A fan on Twitter pointed out their respective record with and without their captain.

Twelve wins, five draws and only four losses in the 21 games Canavan has played since arriving from Plymouth in January compared with just one win and eight defeats in the 13 that he has missed.

There was a calmness and authority about the backline that had been lacking the previous week.

At the other end, City found the clinical touch that has been frustratingly lacking on too many occasions – from the most unexpected of sources.

All three scorers were opening their account for the campaign – two of them breaking their Bantams ducks.

Pity anyone foolish enough to bet on City games these days!

Four days after Hartlepool ruined accas up and down the land with their Valley Parade victory, would anyone have backed Caolan Lavery for the first goal – or the Canadian and Theo Robinson to get off the mark in the same game?

There have been big question marks over the suitability of the two strikers Adams brought in to aid Andy Cook and the absent Lee Angol.

Lavery’s work ethic coupled with an instinctive finish and Robinson’s “worldie” just seconds after coming on delivered some much-needed reassurance.

Lavery had last netted in March; Robinson, against City, in April.

Sandwiched by those two goals was a first since February for Levi Sutton, topping off another non-stop effort with an alert piece of following up after Andy Cook had jabbed against the post.

City’s leading marksman missed out on the scoresheet himself after blazing over the bar from close range when he seemed to have done the hard bit.

But this was a day when others finally picked up the slack.

Adams wondered aloud what supporters had thought when they saw a starting line-up minus Charles Vernam, who was unused on the bench, and the injured Callum Cooke.

Their absence allowed Alex Gilliead to play a more central role – something he did with great effect at times with Scunthorpe – and he responded with probably his most influential performance yet.

After a night of running down blind alleys against Hartlepool, Gilliead put in a real shift and proved an eager link man with the front two.

That summed up the transformation within the team over two games which underlined the unpredictability of League Two.

Swindon’s home record may have gone to form with a third loss at the County Ground – where they have won only one in seven. But then again, what was that about Hartlepool being rubbish on the road?

The omens had not been particularly promising for City.

They had not triumphed in Wiltshire since September 2005 when the veteran duo of Dean Windass and Steve Claridge, at the combined age of a ripe old 75, had inspired a 3-2 victory over a home team heading for League One relegation.

The schedule of long trek after long trek meant they have travelled 1,900 miles since registering their previous success on the road at Mansfield in late August.

“It only changes the weak, the strongest survive,” was the curt reply from Adams when asked recently about the physical toll of spending so much time on the motorway.

City found the drive to roll over Swindon from the moment that Lavery broke the deadlock.

Threlkeld’s long throw into the box was helped on by Gilliead and Lavery reacted quickest with a swivelling waist-high shot past keeper Jojo Wollacott.

Bizarrely, none of the former Walsall man’s last nine goals had been for the winning side.

You had to go back to January 4, 2020 for his last three points after scoring – ironically the same day as City’s previous visit to Swindon.

But this time there would be no looking back at a ground where he had netted in a handsome Sheffield United win four years ago.

On-loan Huddersfield defender Romoney Crichlow, whose personal shocker was ended with the hook at half-time, almost made it two when he sliced Lavery’s cross on to the top of his own net.

But City continued to cut open the red ranks and Sutton doubled the advantage when quickest to react after Cook nudged the woodwork from a long pass by Foulds – another enjoying his most convincing outing.

The visitors then saved their best until last.

A double change in the second half earned instant reward as Gareth Evans set up Robinson to take one touch to control in the corner of the Swindon box and another to unleash a delicious effort into the far top corner.

Seeing Robinson score was nothing new for Swindon followers after a healthy return of seven goals in 15 appearances for the club on loan from Southend in 2019. But none anywhere near that level.

Payne’s spot-kick was no more than an annoying post-script on a day City had delivered a strong response.