SWINDON Town were more than ready for their close-up.
The oft-trotted out mantra from many inside the County Ground was that Mark Cooper’s side have been keen to fly under the radar but if that notion ever needed dispelling, that feat was well and truly achieved as Swindon strutted their stuff in front of the TV cameras for the first time this season.
A domineering 3-0 win at Coventry City provided the ideal Monday night entertainment for the national broadcasters and as Cooper’s men returned to the top of League One, they ensured that they did it in style with a performance that carried the air of undeniable title contenders.
The home side threatened first, with Simeon Jackson testing Wes Foderingham early on before Michael Smith narrowly failed to get on the end of a teasing Harry Toffolo delivery.
The Norwich City loanee didn’t have to wait long to grab himself an assist, with Smith’s neat piece of control allowing Toffolo to put in another pin-point cross, which resulted in Williams nodding home his 16th goal of the season with just seven minutes on the clock.
Swindon’s confidence was palpable and it wasn’t long until Williams was wheeling away with glee once again.
This time, it was Ben Gladwin’s turn to show off his accuracy in the final third as his clipped pass forward split the Sky Blues’ back line, finding the feet of midfield partner Louis Thompson.
Thompson was clumsily bundled over by former Swindon man Frank Nouble and after referee Kevin Stroud pointed to the spot, Williams calmly stroked home from the spot to make it 2-0, sending keeper Ryan Allsop the wrong way in the process.
The onslaught from the dominant men in red showed no signs of abating, with Michael Smith twice coming close to extending Town’s lead; firstly firing inches off-target from John Swift’s clever back-heel before side-footing wide of the mark when he met Toffolo’s low cross.
Those two efforts sandwiched Conor Thomas’ blast over the bar as the home side struggled to come to terms with Swindon.
The home side did muster up a chance to hit back early in the second half but as Thomas attempted to convert a golden opportunity, the midfielder’s finish was anything but sparkling.
Nouble powered his way down the left flank and out-muscled Gladwin before dropping in a teasing deliver which Thomas met with a header but the City man’s effort had next to no power and Town keeper Wes Foderingham was able to gather cleanly on the line.
Up the other end, Swift’s goalbound effort was blocked by the foot of Andy Webster but with 57 minutes on the clock, Swindon were almost caught out at the back as Foderingham’s pass forward was seized upon by John Fleck but the Coventry winger failed to find Jackson and the visitors cleared the danger.
That hairy moment sparked a period where the home side finally began to exert some pressure on Town, pressing higher up the pitch and having some success through the power of Nouble.
The forward, who was on loan at the County Ground back in 2010, put in another accurate cross in the 73rd minute but Matthew Pennington, who rose above the Swindon back line, headed harmlessly over the bar.
With less than ten minutes to go, moments after Williams had narrowly failed to find the target from a tight angle after rounding goalie Allsop, substitute Jonathan Obika made an instant impact as he showed his teammate how it was done with his first touch.
A despairing Allsop desperately attempted to claw the ball off the line but his efforts were in vain as Obika rounded off a sterling night’s work in the West Midlands.
You may not be able to phone in and crown your favourite Town player king of the jungle or the cream of the crop from a batch of struggling celebrities but Swindon certainly provide some of the best reality TV on the box.
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