GAVIN Tomlin struck two minutes from time as relegation threatened Crawley Town snatched an unlikely win at the County Ground as Swindon Town slipped to a third League One defeat in a row.

Andy Williams had earlier hauled Swindon level after Anthony Wordsworth gave the visitors the lead just five minutes into a dire first half.

From there it looked like there would be only one winner as Swindon carved out chance after chance but failed to find a way through.

And that cost Mark Cooper’s side dear as they were stung by Tomlin’s late strike as Crawley became the first team to do the double over Town this season.

The loss is another blow to Swindon’s chances of automatic promotion, although they remain seven points behind leaders Bristol City following their defeat at Colchester.

Town found themselves behind inside five minutes as Gwion Edwards was allowed to skip down the left too easily and he pulled the ball back into the box to Wordsworth, who steered the ball past Wes Foderingham from 10 yards.

The hosts went close to an immediate response as John Swift curled a free-kick from 25 yards just the wrong side of the post but that was as good as it got in what turned out to be a dreadful first half, with Crawley content to sit deep and lump the ball forward, and Town lacking the guile to break them down.

Chances were few and far between, as Yaser Kasim tried his luck with a speculative effort from distance, while Swift wriggled into the Crawley box on the left but he was only able to cut the ball back into the arms of keeper Lewis Price.

Town’s best chance of the first half came in the final minute when Williams collected a clever ball through the middle from Kasim, however, his effort was tame and failed to trouble Price.

Another big opportunity came Williams’ way in the opening exchanges of the second half but again he was unable to capitalise. Nathan Byrne picked him out with a cross to the back post and Williams lost his man but was only able to knee the ball into Price's midriff and the effort then cannoned off him for a goal kick.

But Williams was up to the task the next time a chance came his way as Town hauled themselves level on the hour mark. Jack Stephens split the Crawley defence with a perfectly-measured pass and Williams raced onto it before steering past the onrushing Price from just inside the box.

The goal lifted the hosts and chances began to come thick and fast. Ben Gladwin flashed a header across goal from a corner, while Swift was also unable to hit the target after he climbed highest to meet Byrne’s back-post cross.

Gladwin then thought he had found an opening when he curled in a low effort from just inside the box but Price got down well to tip the ball around the post for a corner.

Another Byrne delivery caused more panic in the Crawley box as his looping cross-cum-shot eluded Price but just sailed past the far post, with Williams also unable to react in time to divert it into the net.

But Town were made to pay for those missed chances as Crawley snatched the win with just two minutes left on the clock.

The ball was sent into the Town box from a free-kick and Jordan Turnbull missed a header, allowing Tomlin to lash past the despairing Forderingham and send his side back to West Sussex with all three points.

SWINDON TOWN: Foderingham, Stephens, N Thompson (capt), Turnbull, Byrne, Kasim, Gladwin, Swift, Toffolo (L Thompson 46), Williams, Smith (Hylton). Subs not used: Belford, Barthram, Branco, Rodgers, Obika.

CRAWLEY TOWN: Price, Young, Bradley, Wood, Dickson (capt), Pogba (Bawling 87), Fowler, Wordsworth, Edwards, McLeod (Harrold 90), Tomlin (Smith 90). Subs not used: Dutton, Anderson, O’Connor, Morgan.

Referee: Graham Horwood

Attendance: 7,692