GARNER LIFTED BY LATE STRIKE
BEN Garner hailed the character of his promotion-chasing Swindon Town side as they edged past ten-man strugglers Oldham Athletic.
Dion Conroy’s stoppage time header spoiled John Sheridan’s return to the County Ground as Swindon secured a narrow victory over his Oldham outfit.
Head coach Garner said: “We always hope it does come. We were the team pushing and trying to force it.
“We showed great character to keep pushing and we kept trying to play. I know we scored late on, but we thoroughly deserved the three points.
“Their goalkeeper played very well, but it was an overly-physical game. There were some bad tackles in the firsthalf and we were fortunate not to come away with another injury.
“In terms of our control, it was the best we’ve played in a long-time, we just didn’t spark enough in the final third. That ability to unlock a defence or find a finish is the hardest part of the game.”
Opportunities were few and far between for both sides during a lacklustre first half, with Oldham’s Dylan Bahamboula providing the rare bright spark.
Oldham had threatened early on, with chances falling to Bahamboula and former Swindon midfielder Christopher Missilou, but both shot wide from the edge of the box.
The hosts’ injury-hit defence struggled with a change in personnel as Oldham were invited to press high. Louie
Reed and Jack Payne both put speculative efforts wide as chances remained sparse.
Five yellow cards highlighted the hot-headed emotions inside the ground, with the returning Sheridan exchanging words with Swindon players as a dull first-half came to a close.
A lacklustre second half produced more of the same, with the visitors restricting Swindon to shooting from range as they dominated possession, but rarely troubled the keeper.
Jordan Clark was sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time for a foul on Ricky Aguiar, with Swindon striking late on to secure three valuable league points.
Club captain Conroy rose highest in the box to meet a superb free-kick from the right by Ellis Iandolo and head in the game’s only goal.
Oldham manager John Sheridan said: “We are down to concede again with almost the last kick of the game.
“We should not be giving a silly foul away – that’s what’s caused it. We should never give a cheap foul away in that silly area at that time of the game.
“It’s very frustrating at times. I’ve had a little go at them, but it’s not time to be hard. The game is gone now.
“They are a good footballing side. We defended well at times, but our ability on the ball is poor.”