BREATH-TAKING football on a difficult surface pleased Swindon Town head coach Ben Garner the most following a 3-0 win against Hartlepool United on Saturday.

Harry McKirdy scored twice upon his return to the side while Mathieu Baudry netted his first Swindon goal in front of fans late on to push Town up to ninth in League Two.

After an even first 20 minutes, Garner’s men were rarely concerned by their hosts and completed a routine victory at Victoria Park.

Asked what satisfied Garner most about the win, he said: “The way we played on a really difficult surface.

“I thought some of the football we played was breath-taking at times on there. Credit to the players for their bravery and their quality – I thought that was immense.

“And I thought the second half was a really professional performance. We defended really well and gave minimal opportunities away, and we created some good opportunities to score.

“We scored two great goals with really good moves, and it was nice to score from a set-piece too – especially to see Frenchy (Mathieu Baudry) score.

“It was a really pleasing performance, and we need to take that into Tuesday now.”

Central to Town’s victory was the performance of top-scorer McKirdy. The 25-year-old netted his 17th and 18th League Two goals of the season with a pair of first-time finishes – something the striker has made a habit of this season.

Garner was delighted to see his talisman return to form immediately and backed him to reach 20 league goals in the final three games.

Garner said: “It was huge to have him back. That’s what he does. He was unfortunate not to have a hat-trick, but he’ll be much better for that going into Tuesday.

“He cramped up in the second half, but there was some great timing and movement, some clinical finishing, and he scored two really good goals.”