MATCH-WINNER Paul Mullin believes Swindon Town have proven they can cope with the added pressure in the end-of-season run-in towards promotion.

The Town players set themselves the target of claiming a top-three finish in League Two this season and with the team currently sitting sixth in the table with 12 games to go, that remains the objective.

Swindon were pushed all the way by Port Vale on Saturday but the battling will of the players ensured they found a moment of quality when it mattered most at the Energy Check County Ground, with Mullin netting two minutes from time to snatch a 3-2 win.

The 23-year-old believes the manner of that victory speaks volumes about the strength of the Town squad psychologically and hopes it can prove to be the difference once the final table is decided in early May.

“I think it shows we are good mentally, we are tough and can grind out results as well as playing well,” said forward Mullin, who joined Town from League Two rivals Morecambe last summer.

“We haven’t done that sometimes this year, so we have come a long way.

“We have found it hard to get three points in some games when we were tired and a little bit leggy but on Saturday, we found that bit extra and I think that is going to be the difference come the end of the season.

“At the start of the season, we wanted to go up automatically. That is still the aim.

“We can’t think about who is behind us or who is in front of us. We have to get past as many teams as we can and hopefully at the end, we will be in the top three.”

This week marks a break in what has become routine for Town recently, with the team having no midweek match for the first time in almost a month.

The victory over Vale marked a seventh game in 22 days for David Flitcroft’s side and Mullin admits that has taken its toll.

However, with only weekend fixtures to worry about for the remainder of the campaign – starting with a trip to Chesterfield on Saturday – Mullin sees no reason why Swindon cannot put together a strong finish.

“It was a difficult time and we had a lot of games,” said Mullin.

“When they come thick and fast and you are not changing the team much because you are doing well, it does take its effect in the end.

“Now we get back training normally and only have Saturday games, so hopefully we can get as many points as we can.”