ON-THE-WHISTLE MATCH REPORT: Swindon Town 1-0 Mansfield Town

Matt Taylor's strike towards the end of the first half earned Swindon their fourth home win on the spin.

Taylor drilled Swindon into the lead in the 39th minute after a superb counter-attacking move by the home side.

Keshi Anderson broke from inside his own half, knocked the ball past one defender and left another for dead before passing to Timi Elsnik, who flicked the ball to the rampaging Taylor.

Taylor steadied himself and lashed the ball past Conrad Logan in the Mansfield goal, beating him at his near post.

Swindon were much the better side in the first half and started the match on the front foot immediately. Before the first minute had even passed, Luke Norris knocked it out to the left to Taylor, who swung it in, but Norris could only flick the ball over the bar from about 12 yards.

Mansfield came straight back, but Danny Rose's shot from the edge of the box was weak and Reice Charles-Cook easily claimed it.

The home fans were shouting 'Penalty!' in the ninth minute when Marc Richards was bundled over in the box by Rhys Bennett, but Premier League referee Kevin Friend made an enemy of the home support by waving it away.

Swindon kept pushing though and Ollie Banks was the next to have a go, but his long-range effort with the side of his foot went high and wide.

Visitors Mansfield thought they had made it 1-0 seconds later, but Kane Hemmings' lobbed effort over Charles-Cook went over the bar as well when it looked for all the world like it was going to drop into the back of the net.

Swindon began to flex their muscles in the 19th minute when Slovenian Elsnik took the ball in his stride, before pinging it out to Taylor who fizzed it back in towards Elsnik, but his first-time effort went just wide.

Hemmings had the ball up the other end soon after, but his 30-yard attempt was drilled harmlessly wide of Charles-Cook's goal.

Logan had the first great save of the game to make, when he pushed Anderson's curled effort from the edge of the area out for a corner, which came to nothing.

Ex-Oxford man Alex MacDonald then tried to bother Charles-Cook, but, like Hemmings, his shot drifted quite a bit wide.

Richards, who caused the Mansfield defence trouble all half, then attempted a dipping volley from 25 yards after wresting a Stag off the ball, but the volley bounced wide of the far post.

Hemmings was at the centre of another Mansfield chance, and drew a save out of Charles-Cook as the ex-Coventry man palmed away Hemmings' powerful effort from a tight angle.

Taylor scored two minutes later and the last shot of the half came via Banks, who smashed a first-time shot from the edge of the box just wide.

Swindon started the second half in electric fashion. Just five minutes after the restart, Banks knocked the ball out left to Taylor, who missiled in a low cross that was met by Richards.

Richards' snap-shot was saved at point-blank range by Logan, but Richards was flagged offside.

Logan was called into action again 10 minutes later by Elsnik but that shot was straight at the keeper and saved.

Swindon had another great opening flagged offside when a huge Charles-Cook kick found Anderson six yards out. Anderson flicked an effort goalwards which Logan tipped behind well, but the lineman had his flag up again.

Mansfield were limited to half chances though. Sub Matt Penney jinked past Kyle Knoyle and into the box, but his drive from an acute angle was wide.

Anderson, and the home fans, thought it was 2-0 in the 71st minute when Anderson met a right-sided cross, the ball went past Logan but Bennett was there on the line to hack it away.

Swindon continued to push for the second, and Richards was the next to come close but he could only head a Knoyle cross straight at Logan from close range.

Mansfield, likewise, were desperate for the leveller and Rose tried an inventive volley to get it, but his scissor kick flew over the top.

The away side pushed hard in the closing stages, but Swindon were equal to anything the Stags could manage.

Swindon Town: Charles-Cook, Purkiss, Menayese, Preston, Knoyle, Banks, Elsnik, Taylor, Keshi Anderson (Mullin '90), Norris, Richards

Subs not used: Moore, Romanski, Robertson, Iandolo, Dunne, Woolery

Mansfield Town: Logan, Paul Anderson, Pearce, Bennett, Benning, MacDonald, Atkinson, Byrom (Miller '60), Hamilton (Penney '68), Rose, Hemmings (Potter '82)

Subs not used: Olejnik, Digby, Spencer, King

Attendance: 6,031

Man-of-the-Match: Matt Taylor

Referee: Kevin Friend