A GOAL in each half from Accrington Stanley saw Swindon Town suffer just a fifth away defeat of the season in League Two this evening.

Billy Kee gave the home side a half-time lead from the penalty spot at the Wham Stadium before former Town player Kayden Jackson doubled the lead just after the hour mark.

Marc Richards reduced the arrears with 20 minutes to play after Swindon were awarded a penalty of their own but the visitors’ hopes of a fightback faded soon afterwards when Kellan Gordon was shown a straight red card.

The defeat means David Flitcroft’s side miss out on the chance to strengthen their promotion credentials and they remain seventh in the table in the last of the play-off places.

Flitcroft made three changes to the Town team from the one which started the 2-2 draw away at Lincoln City on Saturday.

Rollin Menayese came into the back three to replace the suspended Matt Preston following his red card against the Imps, Kyle Knoyle was named instead of Gordon as right wing-back, with James Dunne in for Keshi Anderson as one of the midfield trio.

There was no place on the bench for Anderson, who presumably missed the trip through injury, with Flitcroft naming just substitutes.

Town flew out of the blocks and had a sight of the Accrington goal in the opening minute. Timi Elsnik fed Knoyle in acres of space on the right and he promptly returned the favour as the Derby loanee arrived into the box but his touch was heavy and the ball dribbled behind for a goal kick.

Elsnik lashed narrowly over the crossbar with a shot from distance shortly afterwards before the visitors carved out a third chance in the opening five minutes when Luke Norris saw a strike from the edge of the box deflected wide after he gathered strike partner Richards’ knockdown.

Accrington gradually grew into the game and Jackson sent a few dangerous balls into the box after probing runs up the right, although the only action goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook saw in the opening 20 minutes was to claim a deep free-kick from home captain Sean McConville.

Ollie Banks gave a scare to Accrington keeper Aaron Chapman midway through the half when he let fly after pouncing on a dropping ball 35 yards from goal, with the scrambling Stanley number one able to push the ball behind.

Swindon were then dealt a body blow after 25 minutes when the visitors got their noses in front from the penalty spot.

McConville nipped away from Matt Taylor to break into the box on the right and the Town left wing-back clipped him from behind as he tried to recover. Referee Darren Bond had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Kee sent Charles-Cook the wrong way to break the deadlock.

Town tried to respond but chances were few and far between, although good work from Norris allowed him a shot at goal from the edge of the box only to for the effort to sail well over the top.

At the other end, Charles-Cook palmed away a powerful low 20-yard drive from Scott Brown before Town mustered their closest sight of an equaliser in stoppage time when a back-pedalling Chapman tipped a dipping Taylor free-kick over the bar.

Flitcroft gave his troops seven minutes of the second half to respond before rolling the dice, with the Town boss opting for a double substation as Gordon and Paul Mullin were sent on in place of Knoyle and Dunne.

However, it was the hosts who mustered up the first effort on goal after the break soon afterwards as Jackson drove into the box and saw a shot deflected wide off Menayese.

Swindon raised their tempo and put began to put pressure on the Accrington goal, with Banks and Elsnik seeing efforts from the edge of the box blocked by the bodies of flying defenders, before the visitors were again caught out as Stanley doubled their lead.

A perfectly-weighted pass from McConville threaded Jackson in between Menayese and Olly Lancashire and he kept his cool to plant the ball under the on-rushing Charles-Cook from 10 yards.

Town gave themselves a lifeline with 19 minutes to go when they won a penalty of their own. Mullin went down in the box under pressure from Callum Johnson and Richards lashed home to reduce the arrears after referee Bond again pointed to the spot.

However, any hopes of a fightback were quashed just three minutes later when they were reduced to 10 men, with substitute Gordon shown a straight red for an incident with McConville.

The home side looked to make their numerical advantage count in the closing stages in an effort to kill the game off and Charles-Cook made superb stops to deny Kee then Jackson but Accrington had already done just enough to secure the points.

ACCRINGTON STANLEY: Chapman, Donacien, Hughes, Dunne, Johnson, Brown, Nolan, Clark, McConville (capt) (Rodgers 83), Jackson (Zanzala 89), Kee. Subs not used: Maxted, Richards-Everton, Sousa, Rowan, Conneely.

SWINDON TOWN: Charles-Cook; Purkiss, Lancashire (capt), Menayese; Knoyle (Gordon 52), Banks, Dunne (Mullin 52), Elsnik, Taylor; Norris (Woolery 69), Richards. Subs not used: Moore, Robertson, Iandolo.

Referee: Darren Bond

Attendance: 1,243 (218 away)