Crazy spell costs Latics

up for it: Athletic midfielder Dale Stephens beats Simon Ferry to the ball.

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Swindon 4, Athletic 2
FOR almost a full half of football at the County Ground, there was only one team in this.

Then, in a couple of flashes before the interval and one shortly after, Athletic were down and out.

Such is the season so far for boss Dave Penney.

Dominating possession and carving out chance after chance, it would have seemed to a watching neutral only to be a matter of time before Athletic found the net.

Sadly, a combination of wild efforts in front of goal and wrong options being taken saw a series of excellent scoring opportunities go begging.

No change there, sadly.

And in the last minute of a low-key half of football, up stepped wily campaigner Billy Paynter to show how it’s done.

The in-form striker, who managed 11 goals in all of last season, spun superbly to leave Reuben Hazell standing before firing home an unstoppable right-footed shot into the top right-hand corner of the goal to register his 19th of the campaign.

If that wasn’t enough of a blow, Danny Wilson’s promotion-chasing side doubled their lead seconds later.

Paynter caused confusion after the ball dropped in the area due to defensive hesitancy, and equally lively frontline partner Charlie Austin managed to wriggle free of Joe Jacobson.

About to pull the trigger from the right, Austin tumbled under a clear push from Athletic’s left-back and referee Darren Deadman had no hesitation in awarding the penalty.

Paynter stepped up and slid the ball to the left of Dean Brill, leaving shell-shocked Athletic 2-0 down at the interval.

Worse was to come after the break as Swindon registered a third goal in little over three minutes.

A flick-on from Paynter set Austin sprinting away with the visitors appealing in vain for offside.

Athletic appeared to have a decent case but that didn’t worry the former Poole Town striker, who hit a fierce low shot from just inside the area which Brill dived over the top of, leaving Town effectively home and dry.

The fourth goal shortly before the hour rubbed salt into shell-shocked Athletic’s open wound.

Wonderful interplay from Paynter and Jonathan Douglas sent on-loan Bolton star Danny Ward slicing right through the centre of Athletic’s defence and the winger slotted casually home.

Athletic didn’t give in and two consolation goals followed through substitute Joe Colbeck and Jason Price.

Both strikes were debut goals in club colours, but neither man will reflect too fondly on this game despite that fact.

Inside the first minute, Price and Pawel Abbott nearly profited from a lapse in concentration from full-back Kevin Amankwaah but neither the on-loan Millwall man nor the following-up Danny Whitaker managed to get a clear shot off in the area.

Price then showcased neat footwork to evade defenders, laying the ball back to Jacobson whose long-range shot was deflected behind.

Dale Stephens swung a trademark superb ball in to the far post and Reuben Hazell, with two goals to his name already this season, leapt to head a lick of paint wide.

Lovely skill from Deane Smalley saw him scoop a pass from Abbott over Lescinel Jean-Francois’s head, setting the striker on a path to the area.

Abbott skewed his well-struck shot five yards wide as Athletic, unchanged from their win over Tranmere, continued to open the game brightly.

Abbott nearly went one better with a bizarre effort. His initial overhead kick from Danny Whitaker’s deflected cross was blocked but, while flat on his backside, Athletic’s eight-goal top-scorer teed up the rebound for an identical effort which floated two yards wide of the far post.

Price fired over from the right of the area and Stephens hit an effort off-target when he had good options on either side.

Then came the triple hammer-blow either side of half-time.

It would have been worse had Hazell not stopped the hat-trick hunting Paynter in his tracks with a good saving tackle and, after Ward had made absolutely sure of the points with Swindon’s fourth, Price poked home Abbott’s flick from close range but was ruled offside.

Penney had made all three substitutions by the 69th minute as he opted for damage limitation.

Paynter went close and Douglas blazed over from a good position before Athletic grabbed their first, Colbeck following up substitute Chris Taylor’s weak left-footed shot to slide the ball home at the far post.

Hazell was booked for a bad challenge on the lively Ward and Colbeck was needed at the other end to block a goal-bound shot from substitute Vincent Pericard on the line.

In the third minute of added time, Colbeck swung in a high cross which completely deceived Smith to leave Price with the simplest task of nodding into an empty goal.




Latics’ next game: Saturday, Walsall (H), Coca-Cola League One