SWINDON Town head coach Ben Garner was delighted with his side’s response to last week’s defeat against Bradford City after the Robins beat Oldham Athletic 3-1 at Boundary Park on Saturday.

Harry McKirdy netted his fifth goal of the season in the 32nd minute before Tyreece Simpson thumped home a second with 10 minutes remaining.

A largely dominant Swindon appeared to be cruising to three points until Oldham captain Carl Piergianni headed home in the 90th-minute to halve the deficit.

As the hosts set about trying to salvage a point, Simpson raced away on the breakaway and drilled a result-clinching third in added time.

Commenting on the win, the Town boss noted how his side regularly responds positively after a set-back.

Garner said: “I was really pleased with the response, and massive credit to the players for that.

“I think the pleasing thing is that when we have lost this season, we’ve responded by either drawing or winning the next game. We’ve then gone on a little run again after that.

“That will be important this season – our resilience, and dealing with set-backs – because you are going to lose games in this league.

“Every team is a different challenge, a different test. Oldham were a different test, we’ve come through that, and we’ve got to keep progressing and keep building all the time.”

After a totally dominant first 45, Town were put under the pump for a 15-minute spell near the start of the second half in which Oldham found some sort of rhythm.

But the visitors came through that pressure with aplomb and reduced Oldham to very few chances as they battled away.

Post-match, Garner explained how the game temporarily shifted back towards Oldham before Town took hold late on.

He said: “I felt in the first half we were in control. We spoke a little bit at half-time about keeping our intensity and our standards.

“Credit to Keith [Curle] and to Oldham, they changed things at half-time, they changed shape, engaged us a bit higher.

“Speaking to the lads after, they found it difficult with the sun in the second half. The sun was a factor with any long balls in the second half making it difficult to see, so that made dealing with them a bit more of a challenge.

“But our adjustment of shape late on gave us better control in the game. I thought we were going to see it out really comfortably, the only negative was conceding from that set-piece.”