SWINDON Town responded to Saturday’s defeat at Fleetwood with a smash and grab win at home to third place Walsall tonight.

A Jonathan Obika header on his return to the side gave Town a lead in the 17th minute, his first goal since Doncaster on another Tuesday night back in September.

The Saddlers, who were on top for large periods of the game, were back level just after the hour when top goal scorer Tom Bradshaw got his second in as many games, before Louis Thompson grabbed the win in the 90th minute with a fine strike from the edge of the box.

Martin Ling made two changes to the side that lost 5-1 at Fleetwood, with Obika and Thompson coming in for Anton Rodgers and Wes Thomas and they had the desired effect.

While there were also two changes to Dean Smith’s side with Anthony Forde and George Evans coming into the fold.

Things looked to start on the same foot that they were left on Saturday when Tom Bradshaw forced a corner in the first minute but Town soon settled into the game.

In an uneventful opening 15 minutes, a Ben Gladwin strike from the half-way line was as good as it got for the hosts.

That was until the 16th minute when Thompson played a nice ball to find Brad Barry down the right and his ball into the six-yard-box was cleared behind for a corner.

From the resulting corner Jordan Turnbull forced Walsall stopped Neil Etheridge into a fine save at the back stick but the ball was only half-cleared and Gladwin put the ball back into the box at the first attempt to find Obika in acres of space to head home with the aid of the post.

After the goal Swindon settled back and invited Walsall onto them and Bradshaw had a big shout for a penalty in the 27th minute waved away when he was bundled to the ground by Turnbull.

Lawrence Vigouroux had to be alert in the Swindon goal to deny Forde and Bradshaw but was more than equal to their efforts to see Swindon take the lead into half-time.

Walsall came out of the break and were direct from the off with Bradshaw forcing Vigouroux into a good save inside the first minute.

Walsall found a way back into the game just after the hour mark when Bradshaw netted his 11th of the season after driving right across the box past Turnbull before firing back across Vigouroux to find the far corner.

Jordan Cook thought he had given the visitors the lead in the 75th minute after tapping home a George Evans free-kick that was palmed away by Vigouroux, but his effort was cancelled out by the linesman’s flag.

However, it was Town who snatched the late victory when Thompson latched onto a loose pass out from the back and after taking a touch forward he let fly low past Etheridge.

SWINDON: (3-5-2) Vigouroux; El-Abd, Branco (C), Turnbull; Barry, Thompson (Rodgers 90+2), Kasim, Gladwin (Robert 58’), Ormonde-Ottewill; Obika, Ajose

Unused subs: Belford, Brophy, Ojamaa, Randall, Hylton

WALSALL: (4-1-4-1) Etheridge; Demetriou. O'connor, Downing, Henry; Chambers; Cook (Lalkovic 82’), Evans (Flanagan 76’), Sawyers, Forde; Bradshaw

Unused subs: Taylor, Baxendale, MacGillivray, Lalkovic, Preston, Morris

Attendance: 6,385 (282)