IT WAS not luck that allowed Swindon Town to escape with all three points against Grimsby Town on Saturday, but hard work and desire, according to head coach Scott Lindsey.

With Swindon down to 10 men – following Saidou Khan’s dismissal in the 53rd minute – but 2-1 up after debut goals from Luke Jephcott and Ronan Darcy, Grimsby set about trying to claim at least a point.

Having limited their hosts to very few genuine opportunities in the 90 minutes, Lindsey’s men saw their goal come under severe pressure inside seven minutes of additional time.

Goalkeeper Sol Brynn had to produce two moments of sheer brilliance to prevent an equaliser, while one of his teammates cleared off the line in order to maintain the Robins’ advantage.

An extraordinary finale left the majority of the 453 travelling supporters wondering how on earth their team had hung on, but Swindon’s head coach stated he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

He said: “I’ve got to say, Sol (Brynn) made some world-class saves at the end there – world class.

“Someone said to be that we rode our luck at times near the end. That’s not luck, that’s hard work.

“I’ve seen the work that Sol puts in, I’ve seen the work that the lads put in. You make your own luck by working hard.

“A bit of heart and desire, a bit of want, will, and determination to see it over the line. The lads have got that in abundance.

“They loaded it right on us because they were trying to get back into the game, but you’ve just got to dig in and put your body on the line. The lads did that brilliantly, every single one of them.”

Around an hour before the incredible ending, Swindon’s impressive start was cancelled out by Ryan Taylor’s well-taken finish.

Despite a brief moment of Mariners pressure thereafter, the Robins quickly regained their rhythm and continued to create chances at will until Darcy netted the winner in the 43rd minute.

The maturity and composure of his team in the first half was a source of great pride for the Swindon head coach.

Lindsey said: “I was really pleased with the reaction (after going behind).

“A successful team always believes in what they’re doing. We stick to our plans, we stick to what we do well.

“There will be times where we go behind or we concede a goal, but we stick to the plan because they boys really do believe in it. They believe in themselves too, and that was clear on Saturday.”