SWINDON Town arrested a run of three straight defeats in League One and claimed their first away victory of the season in the process with a classy performance away at Oldham Athletic this afternoon.

Head coach Luke Williams had suggested there was a shortage of confidence within the Town camp in the wake of the home defeat to Bristol Rovers in midweek but that looked anything but the case at Boundary Park.

The visitors were in the ascendancy from the off and took a deserved lead inside 20 minutes courtesy of a lovely curling finish from Jonathan Obika before Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill made the points safe early in the second half with a close-range strike.

Town started positively and had a sight of goal inside three minutes. Nathan Delfouneso’s low cross was hacked out for a corner by Peter Clarke and Obika made a nuisance of himself when Yaser Kasim swung the ball in, with possession falling nicely for Nathan Thompson but he cracked an effort over from 12 yards.

Obika then harried Charles Dunne into conceding another corner, with Kasim’s ball this time going all the way to Raphael Branco at the back post but the Brazilian’s powerful low effort flew across goal and wide.

The goal the visitors deserved arrived with 18 minutes on the clock and came at the end of a fine flowing move. Thompson carried the ball forward and fed the excellent John Goddard, who picked out Obika in space in the box and the Town forward took a touch to step inside Clarke before curling the ball past Oldham goalkeeper Connor Ripley and into the bottom corner.

The half had passed its midway point before the home side had a sniff of goal, although Josh Law’s curling free-kick from 25 yards did not have Town stopper Lawrence Vigouroux worried as it sailed safely wide.

Obika was a headache for the home back-line all afternoon and a Thompson strike looped up off a defender and hung nicely in the air for the Town striker but his spectacular overhead kick was straight at Ripley.

Oldham began to rally and Freddie Lapado beat Branco on the left and cut the ball back to strike partner Lee Erwin in the box but Thompson got in a crucial block.

Vigouroux was called into action for the first time five minutes before the break when Erwin got in a smart shot on the turn from the edge of the box but the Town stopper got down well to save.

Town finished the half as they started it, though, and were inches from making it 2-0 two minutes before the break. Delfouneso released Ormonde-Ottewill up the left and he found Obika in the box, whose initial flicked effort was blocked but the ball came back nicely to him but he could only find the side netting with a snap-shot.

Oldham chief Steve Robinson made two changes at the break in an effort to turn his team’s fortunes around and it had an instant impact as their best effort arrived within three minutes of the restart. Ollie Banks darted forward from deep and let fly from 30 yards, with the effort sailing inches wide.

Banks was leading the charge for the Latics and soon afterwards he got the ball back after taking a short corner and his whipped cross was missed by everyone and flew just wide of the back post.

Town were able to withstand the pressure and hit their hosts with a sucker-punch when they got a crucial second goal with their first attack of the second half 10 minutes after the restart.

Delfouneso darted up the left before finding Goddard with a lovely back-heel and his cross picked out Ormonde-Ottewill, who was allowed two touches by the Latics defence before smashing home from close range.

A goalline clearance was all that prevented Town from making it 3-0 just after the hour mark as although Kasim’s corner did not beat the first man, Goddard won the ball back and whipped the ball into the box where Lloyd Jones’ strike was hooked away by Cameron Burgess.

Town had begun to lay siege to the Latics goal and Goddard fashioned two excellent openings for his team to pull further clear. First, he fed the onrushing Ormonde-Ottewill in the box but his effort was blocked by Ripley, before Goddard then picked out Obika, who climbed highest to power a header goalwards but again the home keeper was equal to the effort.

Swindon still had to remain on their toes at the other end, though, and Vigouroux proved he still had his wits about him as he tipped Banks’ curling 25-yard free-kick around the post with his fingertips.

Kasim went close to a third Town goal with a similarly dangerous free-kick in the closing stages which Oldham keeper Ripley tipped just wide at full stretch.

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (4-4-2): Ripley; Law, Burgess, Clarke (capt), Dunne; Banks, Green, Klok (Fane 46), Croft (Osei 46); Erwin (McKay 56), Lapado. Subs not used: Kettings, Wilson, Flynn, McLaughlin.

SWINDON TOWN (3-5-2): Vigouroux; Branco, Thompson (capt), Jones; Furlong, Kasim, Thomas (Iandolo 88), Goddard (Rodgers 74), Ormonde-Ottewill; Obika, Delfouneso (Norris 72). Subs not used: Henry, Evans, Smith, Hylton.

Referee: Mark Haywood

Attendance: 3,403