Giuliano Grazioli kept alive bottom-placed Swindon's slim hopes of staying in the First Division with a late winner at home to Fulham.

Grazioli, who has spent much of the season on the injured list, burst clear of a static Fulham defence in the 86th minute to send a low, right-footed shot past goalkeeper Maik Taylor.

Fulham collapsed after Grazioli's goal, and the home side should have added more before the final whistle.

Grazioli blazed over an open goal, and substitute Wayne Gray had a goal-bound header brilliantly blocked by Taylor.

But if Grazioli was ultimately Swindon's match-winner their real hero was goalkeeper Frank Talia, who produced a string of important saves when Fulham's pressure was at its most intense.

Talia blocked two long-range efforts from Danish midfielder Bjarne Goldbaek. But his best effort came in the 63rd minute when he somehow parried a close-range header from Barry Hayles.

Hayles also shot over from six yards in the first half, while Geoff Horsfield dragged an effort across the face of the goal with Talia for once beaten.

But Fulham, for all their chances, struggled to justify their position in the table and had four players booked as referee George Cain struggled to keep control.

The Bootle official booked Chris Coleman, Andy Melville, Horsfield and Steve Hayward as Fulham were rattled by the resistance they encountered from their seemingly doomed opponents.

Fulham sent on Paul Peschisolido in the 68th minute in a bid to break the deadlock, and later Gus Uhlenbeek and Wayne Collins came on to pep up the attack - but nothing worked.

Swindon made the most of their early good fortune to grow in confidence, and Grazioli's sixth goal of the season was no real surprise.

Grazioli has missed six months of the season because of a foot injury, and his late flurry of goals looks as if it be too late to save his club from relegation.

Teams:

Swindon: Talia, Robinson, Reeves, Willis, Hall, Leitch, Collins, A. Williams (Davis 69), Meaker, Griffin (Gray 57), Grazioli (Cowe 89).

Subs Not Used: Mildenhall, J. Williams.

Goals: Grazioli 83.

Fulham: Taylor, Finnan (Uhlenbeek 83), Melville, Coleman, Hayward (Collins 83), Clark, Goldbaek, Phelan, Lewis (Peschisolido 68), Hayles, Horsfield.

Subs Not Used: Thompson, Symons.

Booked: Coleman, Melville, Horsfield, Hayward.

Att: 7,556

Ref: G Cain (Bootle).