Ten-man Magpies are brushed aside by rampant Town with Williams at the double

But for a late Luke Ayling goal some 150 miles away in Bristol, Town would have ended Saturday, December 13, top of League One.

It does not take any RAF-issue equipment to tell you that the division is aware of the quality of Mark Cooper’s side.

The Robins' latest win, their fifth in a row, came at the expense of another side challenging at the top of the table – Shaun Derry’s Notts County – by three goals to nil.

The ease with which Swindon brushed aside their opponents suggested they were visiting a side more worried about staying in the league than getting themselves out of it.

Andy Williams scored the first and second goal, with the outstanding Massimo Luongo getting a deserved third after County’s Liam Noble had been dismissed by referee Darren Deadman for an apparent elbow.

The style and substance showed by Town was akin to watching Roger Federer in his prime, dismissing a lowly opponent in the opening round at Wimbledon.

Almost from the first minute County, perhaps considering themselves above the containing tactics employed by most of Town’s opponents this season, seemed willing to take their visitors on in a battle of skill, rather than one of will.

It made for a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle as Swindon played their football with freedom, whilst County maintained a threat in the spaces left by the visitors' adventure.

There are visible signs of Derry in the way his side play, no lack of quality on the ball but with a hard, tenacious side. At times Swindon needed to maintain their discipline in the face of the physical aspects of their hosts' play. The maturity to do so was impressive.

Oddly, the red card was less malicious than some of the other incidents in the game. Noble’s elbow was awkward and clumsy but he had little knowledge of Nathan Thompson thundering in behind him - more careless than reckless.

With the home side reduced in number, it allowed Cooper’s side to ease through the remaining half of the game and allow their bodies the rest that could prove so vital over the busier festive period.

The Robins boss had made only the one change, enforced by Harry Toffolo’s absence through injury, meaning the boss had to opt for an attacking replacement, utilising the versatile Ben Gladwin in the left wing-back slot.

The game started in an open manner. Town were allowed to play from the back with ease, working up the park in their usual pretty formations, resulting in a Luongo shot from range that County keeper Roy Carroll fielded well.

Gladwin’s deployment down the left did provide an obvious point of entry for Derry’s side and, just moments later, they came close to exploiting it. Garry Thompson was allowed free by Gladwin and he delivered a ball for Noble which required Nathan Thompson to throw himself into a block to prevent the shot going on target.

County did not heed the early warning to deny Luongo space. The Aussie was allowed to brush off Gary Jones too easily and skip past Curtis Thompson before putting in Williams to slide clinically past Carroll and put Town, for most of the afternoon, top of the league.

Luongo was at the heart of everything Town did well as they dominated the first quarter of the game. The midfielder had two decent chances to double the lead as his marker, Jones, could not get near him.

Williams slides the ball home to give his side the lead at Meadow Lane

The first came from a throw-in and saw him wriggle into the box and bend his shot just wide from a tight angle. Then, when put clear by Nathan Byrne, the Aussie could not match Williams’ cool finish as Carroll smothered it behind.

Town were rampant, the home fans were beginning to take their frustrations out on their players and the referee.

Luongo did not care. He continued to raise the levels of ire in the stands with his purposeful running and incisive passing. It appeared the two-week break had reinvigorated the former Spurs man, who was a constant nuisance.

Next to test Carroll’s hands was Obika, who plucked the ball out of the air from a corner and confounded his marker with some delightful footwork to create an opening. Attempting to surprise Carroll with a near-post drive, Obika could not beat the Northern Irishman.

Against a side less rampant than Swindon, the veteran stopper might have ended on the winning side, given the amount of times he was on hand to bail out his team.

The one time he failed to do so, he had Haydn Hollis to thank. Luongo, again assuming the role of architect, provided for Obika, the striker bundled his way past Carroll, but had to watch as Hollis dashed back to clear his attempted finish off the line.

Gladwin, who had been steadily improving on the left, had another go at doubling the advantage for his side before the break.

Having weaved the ball through the County half like a bee buzzing from flower to flower, it came to Byrne to lay-up on for the onrushing Gladwin. With time to pick his spot the encroaching left wing-back curled his shot wide of the upright.

Town deserved more than a one-goal lead, but they could have none to speak of whatsoever, as Hollis rose to meet a free-kick in the last throes of the first half but saw his header go just wide.

That was it for the opening piece, but fortunately the game had more to give. Town started on the front foot in the second half but it was the home side who had the first clear chance.

Substitute Michael Petrasso skipped through the challenges to tee up a Stephen McLaughlin only for Jack Stephens to hack the ball off the line.

That was the only prompting Swindon required to crank through the gears and the sharpness quickly returned to their play. The Luongo-Obika axis almost roved fruitful again, the Aussie drifting in a cross and the striker again drawing the best from Carroll.

Just two minutes later though Carroll was beaten. Gladwin, by this time a major force, shimmied and pinged the ball from foot to foot to put Curtis Thompson on the floor. It provided the space to drive a low cross across goal and Williams met it firmly and accurately to see the net ripple as the ball tested its upper reaches.

Andy Williams steers in his and Swindon’s second from Ben Gladwin’s arrowed low cross

Two goals down and punch-drunk, County did not need to lose one of their midfield workers, but when Nathan Thompson careered into an aerial challenge with Noble and met an errant elbow, Deadman reduced the home side to 10 men.

Noble was not aware of Town skipper but his body position was dangerous, hence the sending-off and perhaps the decision to award to County the free-kick.

Gladwin was ruthless in punishing the ten men, minutes later again giving Curtis Thompson a headache, beating him with a stepover and brushing off the defender’s attempts to claw back and reversing the ball for Luongo to beat Carroll from close range. That was it for the County full-back and he was brought off with his tail lodged in his rear end.

The introduction of Jake Reeves signalled a period of prolonged control for the away side. A man up and with healthy lead, Town continued to play and popped the ball around the midfield with patience and class.

There were further chances, Gladwin and more glaringly Michael Smith missing the target and the opportunity to further grow the lead.

Williams, looking for his hat-trick, had a couple of glimpses but in truth they were no more than half-chances, as Cooper’s side strolled through the remainder of the game.

It was the most comfortable performance since the second half at Chesterfield back in October. For all the discipline and control required for the tough run in November this was a performance with the handbrake off and Notts County could not cope.

The notion that no one is paying Swindon any attention is ridiculous, they’re all watching but when they play this well there is a little anyone can do about stopping them.