Striker Uwe Rosler helped new manager Joe Royle to a deserved victory at the
County Ground.
Rosler opened the scoring after 22 minutes when he struck from close range
after keeper Steve Mildenhall could only parry a powerful goalbound header.
Substitute Steve Cowe pulled Swindon back on level terms on 71 minutes when he
headed home unmarked as City sat back on their lead.
But Rosler restored City's advantage six minutes later when he finished off
the move of the match to slide in and convert Lee Bradbury's cross.
And Bradbury himself sealed the victory seven minutes from time when he looped
a header into Swindon's empty goal after Mildenhall had failed to claim Jeff
Whitley's centre from the right.
Royle, in his second game in charge after replacing Frank Clark, dropped
former England international Peter Beardsley to the substitutes bench for the
game while Swindon boss Steve McMahon gave a debut to on-loan Newcastle
midfielder Stuart Elliott.
But it was the visitors, starting the game second from bottom, who posed the
greater threat in the first-half and Swindon could easily have been further
behind at the interval.
Midfielder Darren Bullock reacted brilliantly to clear Craig Russell's
goalbound shot from the line while Mildenhall dived at full-stretch to tip
Symons header round the post for a corner.
Defender Murtaz Shelia thought he had extended City's advantage after Rosler's
opener on 26 minutes when he headed home Georgi Kinkladze's pin-point corner but
referee Brian Coddington ruled the goal out for a push.
Kinkladze was replaced by Beardsley after the break while McMahon changed his
team around making a double substitution, bringing on Cowe and Mark Walters.
The substitution looked to have reaped reward when Cowe headed home Walters
free-kick to take advantage of a loss of concentration in the City defence but
their joy was short lived.
Rosler restored the advantage after neat play between Jim Whitley and Bradbury
and then Bradbury sealed victory for City when he seized on Mildenhall's
mistake on 83 minutes to send the 2,000 travelling City fans home happy.
Teams
Swindon: Mildenhall, Robinson, Borrows, Leitch, Taylor, Collins,
Bullock, Howe, Hay (McDonald 85), Finney (Cowe 50),
Elliott (Walters 50).
Booked: Bullock.
Goals: Cowe 71.
Man City: Wright, Jeff Whitley, Briscoe, Shelia (Weikens 44),
Symons, Tskhadadze, Jim Whitley, Brown, Russell (Bradbury 62),
Kinkladze (Beardsley 45), Rosler.
Goals: Rosler 22, 77, Bradbury 83.
Att: 12,280
Ref: B Coddington (Sheffield).
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