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Swindon Town 2 Oldham Athletic 0

Gavin Browne
27/10/2008

TWO goals in eight first half-minutes condemned Athletic to a third league defeat in their last five games.

Sean Morrison and Jack Smith were the men responsible as John Sheridan's visitors produced the archetypal 'game of two halves'.

Having bossed the opening period - and found themselves two goals down in the process - the never looked like scoring after the break against a home team which grew in confidence the longer the game progressed.

Following Latics' midweek defeat at Bristol Rovers, Sheridan restored Neal Eardley and Andy Liddell to start with arguably his strongest available side. As a result they began well, pressuring a home side looking nervous despite recording their second home win of the season during the week.

Lee Hughes proved a menace to the Town backline, but for all their possession, Athletic were unable to fashion any real clear-cut chances. Chris Taylor forced Peter Brezovan into a comfortable save early on  before the winger, along with Hughes and Mark Allott, had efforts blocked by the home defence.

Therefore it was ironic, that for all Latics' territorial dominance, it was Mark Crossley who was the busier of the two keepers with the away defence vulnerable from wide areas and set pieces.

Crossley had already made an excellent save to deny Billy Paynter before Swindon took a 26th minute lead. Simon Cox cleverly flicked the ball through to Morrison, the 17-year-old then belying his youth to calmly sidefoot past Crossley for his first senior goal.

Crossley then kept out another Paynter effort, only for Town to double their advantage from the penalty spot when Hughes was deemed to have handled Jon-Paul McGovern's free kick. Hughes' protests that he was pushed by Hasney Aljofree fell on deaf ears and Smith duly sent Crossley the wrong way from 12 yards.

Danny Whitaker wasted Latics' best chance with half-time approaching, bursting through before shooting over with Brezovan coming off his line.

That was as good as it got for an Oldham team whose second-half display was not one of a team aiming for the top six. The strikers failed to hold onto possession, there was little spark in midfield, while the defence suffered collective jitters every time a cross came in.

Cox was denied by the woodwork, while Paynter and Aljofree both saw shots blocked from inside the six-yard area as Swindon comfortably dealt with whatever Athletic could throw at them.

Substitute Craig Davies poked a shot wide at the other end, but while it is too early to talk of slumps or crises, Sheridan's men must return to winning ways, and quickly.