Latics take timely tonic

Photo: Alan Howarth

The well-worked goal, at the end of a slick move featuring Gary Harkins, Danny Philliskirk, Jon Stead and then scorer Jonathan Grounds, was fully deserved.

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

Swindon 0, Oldham 1
THERE is nothing quite like the balm of three points and a clean sheet to soothe the open sore of a star player leaving.

Keyboards and touch screens took a pounding from angry fingers on social media 24 hours before this fine victory, when sources close to Brentford indicated Athletic’s James Tarkowski had been sold to them for as little as £150,000. Athletic has since assured fans the transfer fee was substantially higher.

The true figure remains undisclosed, but it will be like he’s never been away if his planned arrival back at Boundary Park on loan later this week takes place. Many may soon be asking the question where Tarkowski now fits into the team.

The thought that Tarkowski may well have a job budging the two men in front of him in time for Bristol City’s visit to Boundary Park on Saturday is reasonable.

Thanks to the protection he received, Athletic’s goalkeeper Mark Oxley only had one save to make all game – albeit against a very lacklustre Swindon side who have now suffered double defeats against Lee Johnson’s side this season.

Ryan Harley’s 25-yard strike in the first half brought a regulation stop. The only other real danger during a game played in a howling wind was a rash challenge from Jonathan Grounds on Louis Thompson.

Television pictures have since shown the initial contact, when Grounds lunged after his clearance was blocked, was fractionally outside the box. Referee Tim Robinson was right to award a free-kick rather than a penalty.

His decision to give Troy Archibald-Henville a second yellow card late on for a tame mistimed tackle on James Wesolowski wasn’t quite as sharp. But Swindon can have few complaints.

Every time they threatened to put anything together, up stepped Athletic’s good-cop, bad-cop pairing of James Wilson and Adam Lockwood. Wilson dovetailed beautifully in his work with the rugged,

on-the-edge-of-the-law brutality of Lockwood.

For all the enterprising passing and movement, the danger was that Athletic’s goal scoring woes would again hurt their chances of winning.

But Athletic became more dangerous as Harkins began to prompt and probe. The Scot – lolloping lazily past defenders with a drop of the shoulder here and a flick there – came very close himself when striking a low 20-yard drive narrowly off-target.

Eight-goal striker Nile Ranger’s introduction off the bench gave Athletic’s back-line a little more to think about. But Athletic’s own sub, Jon Stead ended up having more of an impact.

Philliskirk had forced Foderingham into a flying stop to his left with one attempt and, after Archibald-Henville had clattered into Grounds to earn his first booking, the resulting free kick was met by the head of Stead, whose nod towards goal was tipped over with agility.

The goal was a well-worked one. Harkins played a neat one-two with Philliskirk and stepped around Nathan Byrne before crossing low with his left foot. Stead sneaked in front of Raphael Rossi Branco to turn the ball goalwards and though his marker got a block, Grounds raced in to shoot powerfully through his legs into the far corner.

After that, with old-fashioned brute Lockwood imperious in meeting every ball meatily with his forehead, Athletic saw out the rest of the game with unusual ease to move up to 15th place in the League One table.

Given the bad taste the Tarkowski deal left in some mouths, this was the perfect palate-cleanser.