Swindon made the song ‘three is a magic number’ come to life last night after their third win and third clean sheet in a row with a 2-0 victory over Gillingham, reports Adam Johnson.

Matt Ritchie’s unstoppable drive into the top corner and Jonathan Smith’s well placed curling shot gave Swindon the points on a night that could have ended very differently.

Paolo Di Canio also made it a third game in a row with the same starting eleven and so far, it’s working. The only change coming with Medhi Kerrouche being replaced on the bench by Ahmed Abdulla because of suspension.

Swindon started the game playing quicker than the speed of light with fast paced passes and movement over a wet and slippery County Ground surface. The end product was the only issue as Town looked to take the game by the scruff of neck.

Early half chances fell for Jake Jervis and Christian Montano but it took until the 25th minute for the first real chance. A cross from Captain Paul Caddis looked destined to find Raffaele De Vita in the area but a Gillingham defender beat the Italian to the ball, knocking it out for a corner.

It was then Swindon’s turn to throw bodies in the way as the combination of Wes Foderingham and Alan McCormack somehow kept the scoreline at 0-0. Foderingham’s point blank save didn’t look to have done enough as Jo Kuffour followed up from two yards out. However, a stunning block from McCormack, which led to the Defender being brought off, gave Town a lifeline.

Alessandro Cibocchi, McCormack’s replacement, was drafted in to the centre of defence but was untroubled as the first half came to a close.

The high tempo action didn’t stop going into the second half but it was Gillingham who were on the front foot. Luke Rooney, a constant threat in midfield, had several chances but no closer than his shot in the 61st minute. His effort beat the diving Foderingham but not the post as the ball nervously went back across goal to let Swindon off once again.

This sparked Swindon back into life but the frustration started getting the better of the County Ground faithful as Di Canio’s men started attempting long balls in hope of finding a breakthrough.

Alan Connell was introduced to spark enthusiasm into the front line in replacement for Christian Montano and that’s exactly what happened. Swindon started to play the way we all know they can with movement and passes along the floor at pace and style searching to breakdown the resistant Gillingham backline.

The hardwork finally paid off in the 75th minute as Swindon opened up the Gill’s backline as Matt Ritchie had a one on one opportunity but he could only shoot straight at keeper Ross Flitney.

It wouldn’t be long though until the breakthrough and it came through the likely source of Matt Ritchie. The Washbag September Player of the Month could now go on to win goal of the season with a moment of brilliance in front of The Town End.

The winger seized on a clearance from a corner, set himself, and blasted a stunning effort straight into the top corner giving Swindon the lead. It wasn’t the most deserved lead but that goal was deserving of all three points. However, that wouldn’t be the end of the drama.

With Gillingham looking for an equaliser, Danny Kedwell had the perfect opportunity and will wake up this morning wondering how he hasn’t added to his tally this season. A cross from the left found Kedwell with only having to tap into the net but the ball got stuck under the former AFC Wimbledon man’s feet and Town cleared the danger.

This let off would prove crucial as Swindon broke a few minutes later and double their lead to make sure the three points would leave the 7,300 or so Swindon fans in a jubilant mood.

Alan Connell received the ball by the corner flag and his good holdup play allowed Jonathan Smith to catch up with the striker. Connell played the ball into the central midfielder’s path who then obliged by delightfully placing the ball into the bottom corner from about 20 yards securing Swindon entered the League Two playoff places.

It was a far from convincing performance from Swindon but the saying goes that a great team wins even with a bad performance. If Gillingham had taken their chances we would be ruing on a poor showing but the difference was that we took our chances when they came along.

Town played decent slick football in periods but were frustrated in search for the champion’s league style goal which graced us on Saturday. When the ball was on the deck moving at pace, we looked the better side with a goalscoring potential but Di Canio’s side deserted these tactics in favour of the long balls into space. The long balls led to more frustration as Gillingham easily dealt with the threat, even going up field creating the better chances.

The other weak point was the defence, which wasn’t as strong as it has been in recent weeks. With left back Cibocchi covering at centre back that was always going to be a potential problem. The Italian did do his job well for the large part but the defence were often found out of position leaving big holes for Gillingham to take advantage of.

Paolo Di Canio didn’t like the word ‘playoffs’ being mentioned in his post match interview whilst also mentioning that the table still isn’t a good judge about our work so far this season. His focus is firmly on getting points on the pitch and it’s a refreshing attitude that has been installed into his players. His ethos is that if we play football the right way, it will reward us in the right way and that is what’s happened in recent weeks.

This was the third game in a row with an unchanged side along with our third win and third clean sheet, showing that Di Canio finally has his side right where he wants them. This side have shown recently that they know how to get the job done and that’s a character trait in a Swindon team which hasn’t been seen in a while.