Charlie Austin scores as Swindon Town beat Grimsby Town 5-0

In Swindon’s first game without departed head coach Scott Lindsey, the Robins were totally irresistible throughout the 90 minutes and played with a freedom and confidence that has rarely been seen this term.

Shortly before Danny Amos’ red card for fouling Jacob Wakeling as last man, Austin kicked off the bundle of home strikes with a first-half header.

After the break, a quartet of goals arrived. Marcel Lavinier, Jonny Williams, and Ronan Darcy all netted prior to Saidou Khan’s first goal for the club in the dying embers.

The victory pushed Swindon up to sixth in the table and five points away from the automatic places.

Interim boss Gav Gunning made five changes to the side which lost 1-0 away at Colchester United last time out under former boss Scott Lindsey.

Louis Reed and Ben Gladwin missed out on the squad completely while Luke Jephcott, Lavinier, and Tyrese Shade all dropped to the bench.

Austin started up front, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy making his first start since arriving. Khan, Jacob Wakeling, and Ciaran Brennan also lined up in the XI.

While the game would end with all smiles, Austin’s homecoming party was almost gate-crashed by Gavin Holohan in the second minute. The Mariners’ midfielder set his sight from range with a dipping effort which destined for the top corner, but the strike was athletically-tipped over by Sol Brynn.

Three minutes after that, in a first-half which was as full of action as January at SN1, Khan almost netted his first Swindon goal when hammering a left-footed shot against the base of the right post from the edge of the area.

There was a moment of concern when referee Sam Purkiss was firmly struck in the face from close range by a sliding Ciaran Brennan clearance which saw the official drop to the floor. After a nine-minute delay, Purkiss was stretchered off to a standing ovation by the crowd – although he appeared to have regained consciousness before his exit.

Purkiss was later confirmed as OK and is recovering at home after a precautionary visit to GWH.

Once play had resumed, Austin followed up his goal against Carlisle United on his first Robins start in 2009 with a 25th-minute header against Grimsby. Remeao Hutton made some space down the right and whipped in a delicious cross for Austin to nod back across Max Crocombe and into the right side of the goal.

The Mariners’ task became all the more difficult in the 34th minute when Amos was sent off for fouling Wakeling as last man. Austin volleyed a hopeful through ball in the direction of Wakeling, and the striker poked the ball away from Amos prior to being cleared out inside the D.

Grimsby stopper Crocombe made a superb save to prevent his team from going two goals down shortly after, when a Hutton cross diverted off Andy Smith’s thigh and was destined for the top corner.

That stop almost proved vital as the visitors wasted a glorious chance to equalise before the break. A low cross from the left appeared as though it would tapped in by John McAtee, but under pressure from Brennan the Grimsby striker turned it wide from inside the six-yard box.

Early in the second half, Austin wasted a fantastic opportunity to double his and his team’s tally for the day after being played in by Hepburn-Murphy on a counter-attack. The striker settled himself down along the right side of the box but thumped the shot off the near side of the bar.

Swindon hit the woodwork for the third time in the game moments later. Angus MacDonald started the move with a cutting pass through to Williams, who was about 25 yards out in the centre. In turn, he played Hepburn-Murphy through, but the striker poked against the outside of the right post from eight yards out.

An injury to Iandolo caused Lavinier to be brought on in his place, and the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur man waited just three minutes before making an tangible impact. Hutton crossed from the right side of the box to the left, and Lavinier volleyed in off the post right-footed to put Swindon two up.

The hosts soon made it three after Hepburn-Murphy cut in from the left and drove a shot at Crocombe. The stopper could only turn the ball out into a dangerous area, and Williams was first to the ball to bundle home from close range.

Swindon grabbed their fourth goal late on when two substitutes – Tyrese Shade and Darcy – combined. Shade brushed off the attentions of a Grimsby man on the half-way line and charged towards the edge of the box where he laid off to Darcy. The former Bolton Wanderers man rather scuffed his shot towards the near post, but it mattered not as the ball found its way into the net via the inside of the left post.

The last meaningful moment fell the way of Swindon’s Gambian midfielder, who scored his first goal for the club in the 87th minute. Khan drove down the left side of the area and squeezed his shot into the roof of the net to make it five.

STFC starting XI: Brynn, Hutton, Iandolo, Williams, Austin, Hepburn-Murphy, Blake-Tracy, MacDonald (c), Khan, Wakeling, Brennan.

STFC substitutes: Copland, Darcy, Jephcott, Lavinier, Shade, Dworzak, Kanu.

GTFC starting XI: Crocombe, Efete, Smith, Maher (c), Amos, Green, Holohan, Clifton, Khan, McAtee, O'Neill.

GTFC substitutes: Glennon, Pearson, Wearne, Hunt, Morris, Orsi, Kiernan.

Referee: Sam Purkiss/Leigh Crowhurst

Attendance: 11,053 (565)