ON-THE-WHISTLE MATCH REPORT: Swindon Town 2-4 Sheffield United

Swindon Town offered hope of a brilliant comeback at home to league leaders Sheffield United, but ultimately came up short in a six-goal thriller.

Swindon swent into the half-time break 2-0 down but roared back to 2-2 in seven second-half minutes however it was not enough as Jay O'Shea netted a third for Sheffield United to keep up their charge to the Championship.

The relegation-threatened Robins were under the cosh during the first third of the match against the league leaders, but managed to keep Sheffield United at bay, until the 29th minute when Caolan Lavery broke the deadlock.

Lavery seized on a poor Fankaty Dabo backpass and proceeded to stab a shot beyond an on-rushing Will Henry and the ball agonisingly crept into the goal, after hitting the inside of the far post, for 1-0.

Soon after it was 2-0 to the Blades when, in the 36th minute, goalscorer Lavery pierced past Raphael Branco before cutting back to Kieron Freeman who was unmarked in the box and had the simple task of lashing in goal number two.

The second half started much brighter for Swindon, however, as Chelsea loanee Charlie Colkett opened his Town account in the 46th minute with a sensational 30-yard strike that flew into the top corner and briefly gave the hosts hope.

It was 2-2 seven minutes later when Ben Gladwin scored an almost-as-impressive goal, again from distance, low into Simon Moore's bottom right-hand corner.

Swindon would be left to rue a missed opportunity though as O'Shea tapped in for Sheffield's third after stand-in goalkeeper Henry gifted him an open goal with a wayward pass. 

Town thought they had the equaliser for the second time 20 minutes before the end when Nicky Ajose nodded in an Obika header going towards goal but the Manchester United trainee was flagged offside. 

Swindon had two penalty shouts in a matter of seconds turned down with quarter of an hour to play. First, Johnny Goddard went sprawling over a dangled leg and then Nathan Thompson was robustly, but fairly, shrugged off the ball by a United defender.

Henry, who overally had a night to forget in the Swindon goal, did manage to get down well to an Ethan Ebanks-Landell shot in the closing stages.

Luke Williams' men kept pushing for the leveller though and almost got it from a corner but Dion Conroy's header was butted away by James Hanson and then Goddard curled an effort over the bar.

Sheffield United killed the game off with a 90th-minute Paul Coutts penalty. United broke in second-half stoppage time and Carruthers was brought down in the box by Colkett. Coutts made no mistake in converting the spot-kick.

Swindon Town: Henry, Thompson, Branco, Conroy, Dabo, Ince, Gladwin (Norris '83) Colkett, Goddard, Obika, Ajose

Subs not used: Thomas, Rodgers, Iandolo, Starkey, Twine, Simpson

Sheffield United: Moore, Fleck, O'Connell, Basham, Lavery, (Carruthers '57) Sharp (Wright '87), Coutts, Freeman, Ebanks-Landell, Lafferty, O'Shea (Hanson '70)

Subs not used: Long, McNulty, Done, Chapman 

Attendance: 7,012

Referee: Oliver Langford