SWINDON Town claimed their fifth away win out of seven in League Two this season with a clinical display at Mansfield Town this afternoon.

Amine Linganzi gave David Flitcroft’s side the perfect start at the One Call Stadium when he lunged to divert a Matt Taylor free-kick home after only four minutes.

Another Taylor ball in led to Town’s second goal on the stroke of half-time, with John Goddard the man to finish the job this time.

There was little sense of a Mansfield fightback after the restart and Swindon were three goals to the good inside 10 minutes of the second period with Luke Norris planting past Conrad Logan from the penalty spot after Keshi Anderson was manhandled by Krystian Pearce.

Although Mansfield were able to grab a consolation in stoppage time when Danny Rose poked home from close range, the victory was never in doubt for Swindon as they climbed up to eighth in the table and they are now just a single place and point off the play-off spots.

The visitors got off to dream start and took the lead with their first real attack after only four minutes.

Paul Mullin was barged over high on the right by Alex MacDonald, Taylor swung across the free-kick and Linganzi was stronger than  Pearce in the stretch to the ball at the back post and was able to guide it home.

Swindon then had a second clear sight of goal in the opening 10 minutes when goalkeeper Logan was caught in no man’s land attempting to scramble back to his line but Anderson could not quite pick out the waiting Norris with the cross.

Mansfield responded well to falling behind and had plenty of possession in the Swindon half without actually creating much.

At one stage, Jimmy Spencer did well to win the ball in the box but then could not quite wriggle away from Matt Preston, who stepped in well to clear.

The visitors then fashioned out another good opening as Norris saw an effort blocked by Logan before laying off to Mullin when the ball came back to him but the wideman could not keep his effort down.

Mansfield went route one in response as Logan picked out Rose, who could not get his effort on target before Swindon stopper Reice Charles-Cook did well to push away a sharp snap-shot from Spencer from the edge of the box.

The contest then seemed to meander towards the break before Swindon suddenly doubled their advantage in the final minute.

A sustained spell of pressure involving Goddard, Norris and Anderson resulted in Taylor delivering another good low ball, with Goddard pouncing ahead of Hayden White in the six-yard box to guide the ball past Logan.

Having not fashioned a clear-cut chance in the opening 45 minutes, Mansfield needed just five of the second period to put that right as substitute Lee Angol cracked in a volley on the angle which Charles-Cook did well to push over.

The warning was heeded by the visitors and they went straight up the other end and grabbed a third goal from the penalty spot.

Ben Purkiss sent in a cross from the right, with referee Oliver Langford deeming that Pearce had manhandled Anderson and pointing to the spot, with Norris drilling low to the left, sending Logan the wrong way.

To their credit, the home side did not roll over and Rose sent an effort from the edge of the box wide before then teeing up Angol who could not quite react quick enough as Charles-Cook gathered.

Mansfield were then appealing for a penalty of their own with 18 minutes to go when substitute Omari Sterling-James went down in the box under pressure from Taylor but referee Langford waved away the claims.

The visitors did not really have a sniff of adding to their advantage in the closing minutes as instead they were required to defend as Mansfield sought a way back into the contest.

The saw off any threat without much alarm right until the clock ticked over in stoppage time when Rose managed to muscle his way between centre backs Lancashire and Preston to get on the end of MacDonald’s low cross and deny Swindon their clean sheet.

MANSFIELD TOWN: Logan; White, Pearce (capt), Mirfin, Hunt; Atkinson (Sterling-James 46), Butcher, Mellis, MacDonald; Rose, Spencer (Angol 46). Subs not useds: Olejnik, Bennett, Anderson, Hamilton, Hemmings.

SWINDON TOWN: Charles-Cook; Purkiss, Lancashire (capt), Preston, Taylor; Dunne, Linganzi; Goddard, Anderson (McDermott 81), Mullin; Norris (Woolery 88). Subs not used: Henry, Robertson, Iandolo, Gordon, Knoyle.

Referee: Oliver Langford

Attendance: 4,081 (523 away)