SWINDON Town struck late in each half to extend their winning run in League Two to a seventh game on Saturday following a hard-earned victory at home to Oldham Athletic.

Kaiyne Woolery’s stoppage-time strike was all that separated the teams following an even first half at the County Ground.

Eoin Doyle then kept up a remarkable sequence of his own as he found the net in a ninth league game in a row five minutes from time to make the points safe.

With the busy festive period now imminent where next weekend’s trip to local rivals Forest Green Rovers starts a run of four games in 12 days, Richie Wellens’ side head into that sitting three points clear at the top of the table.

Oldham enjoyed a good spell of early pressure and won a flurry of corners in the first 10 minutes. There were no real moments of alarm for the hosts, though, with keeper Steven Benda only called into action once to comfortably save Desire Segbe Azankpo’s low shot from a tight angle.

Town managed to quell the momentum for a time but there was real concern on the quarter-of-an-hour mark when Alex Iacovitti cushioned down a cross into the path Mohammed Maouche in the box, but the Latics forward sent a first-time effort over the top under pressure from Mathieu Baudry.

The contest was 20 minutes old when Swindon supporters finally got a sight of what they craved. Striker partners Jerry Yates and Doyle combined after the hosts took a quick throw, but the latter could not quite jump high enough to meet a cross into the six-yard box cleanly and looped a header over visiting goalkeeper Zeus De La Paz’s crossbar.

That did not scare Oldham into retreating, though, and Benda was at full stretch to keep the score level soon afterwards, tipping a long-range effort from Jamie Stott over the top.

Swindon started to show signs of life after the half-hour mark passed and Doyle leapt well to flick on Rob Hunt’s ball from deep. Woolery gathered with his back to goal and managed to turn his marker but only succeeded in blazing high and wide.

Diallang Jaiyesimi then fizzed a delivery across the face of goal that De La Paz gathered just ahead of the charging Yates.

The visitors were still threatening themselves and only a superb last-ditch challenge from Hunt denied David Jones a clear sight of goal inside the six-yard box.

The action was now flowing from end-to-end and referee David Rock played a good advantage when Woolery was sent tumbling on halfway. Jaiyesimi pounced on the loose ball and charged into the Latics box, only to be crowed out as he tried to shoot.

A breakthrough was looking ever more likely, and it finally arrived in the first of four additional minutes at the end of the first half – with Town the team to capitalise.

Michael Doughty played a delightful ball from deep to pick out Woolery’s run forward, and he rifled a firm shot past De La Paz from 12 yards to send the home side into the break in front.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between as the second half got under way and the hour mark had almost arrived before a genuine sight of goal arrived again.

It came Oldham’s way and was gilt-edged as substitute Felipe Morais whipped the ball across the face of goal to the back post where Iacovitti somehow failed to convert.

Keshi Anderson was introduced off the bench shortly afterwards as Jaiyesimi made way, and he almost made an instant impact. Anderson swung the ball into the box from the left, which narrowly eluded Yates’ desperate lunge with just De La Paz to beat.

The home side were on the attack again soon afterwards and De La Paz could not hold Doughty’s drive from just inside the box before Woolery’s follow-up was scrambled off the line.

Doyle – seeking a goal in an ninth League Two game in a row – thought he had made the points safe with eight minutes to go when he lifted the ball over the advancing De La Paz after being played in by Anderson, only to be denied by the linesman’s flag for offside.

The woodwork then kept Doyle’s attempt to keep his scoring run going as he hit the bar with a delicate chip from the edge of the box.

However, the Irishman was not to be denied and his third chance in three minutes was a telling one as he curled a delightful effort beyond the dive of De Laz Paz to kill off Oldham for good.

The Latics missed a golden opportunity to set up a nervy conclusion in the last of the 90 minutes as Iacovitti lashed over the top from 10 yards out when left unmarked.

Swindon would not switch off again, though, and calmly saw out stoppage time without alarm to keep their push for promotion firmly on track.

SWINDON TOWN (4-4-2): Benda; Caddis, Baudry (c), Fryers, Hunt; Woolery, Doughty (Rose 78), Grant, Jaiyesimi (Anderson 61); Yates (Isgrove 90+3), Doyle. Subs not used: McCormick, Broadbent, Iandolo, Curran.

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (4-4-2): De La Paz; Hamer, Wheater (c), Stott (Egert 27, Morais 53), Iacovitti; Mills, Jones (Fage 65), McCann, Smith; Segbe Azankpo, Maouche. Subs not used: Woods, Wilson, Sylla, Eagles.

Referee: David Rock

Attendance: 6,825