Hoilett earns Holloway's Swindon 1-0 win over Tranmere

Hoilett produced a tidy close-range finish in the 91st minute after a creative run and pass from fellow substitute Michael Olakigbe to give Town a 1-0 win.

Swindon move into fifth place in League Two, on a day where Salford City and MK Dons lost.

Town now sit three points adrift of the automatic promotion places, with just seven games to go.

Prior to kick-off Holloway made two changes from their 2-0 win over Gillingham in midweek, with youngsters Fletcher Holman and Aidan Borland replacing Tom Nichols and Hoilett.

It was a slow start and a cagey opening 30 minutes for both sides, with the best chance coming through Darren Oldaker's long-range shot that narrowly edged over the crossbar.

After the first half hour, Swindon looked to take more control of the game and produced some better football in the opposition's half.

But it was Tranmere who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 15 minutes before half time. Charlie Whitaker, who has already scored two free kick goals this season, had a set piece on the edge of the box after Sol Solomon was fouled for the third time in quick succession.

However, Oldaker was able to block Whitaker's free kick and drove his team up the pitch to continue the Robins' first half dominance in possession.

Disappointed with his side's lack of threat, Holloway sent all six outfield substitutes to warm-up at half-time after another below standard first 45.

In fact, it was the first time in a while that Rovers had been cheered off the pitch upon the referee's whistle after a recent run of poor form. Prior to this fixture, they had won just two games in 2026.

Despite not making a change at the start of the second half, Holloway's team talk worked as his side improved the level of their performance.

In the 47th minute, Oldaker hit the target from range again, leading Marosi to spill the ball into the path of Aaron Drinan. Nohan Kenneh was fast to react and tackle League Two's top scorer as the ball dribbled out for a corner kick.

Moments later 21-year-old Holman made a darting run towards the back post, but thrashed his shot down the throat of Tranmere's goalkeeper from five yards out.

The former Premier League manager rolled the substitutions after 66 minutes, replacing Billy Bodin and Gavin Kilkenny with Junior Hoilett and Ollie Palmer.

This brought about a change of shape for the visitors as they looked to take advantage of promotion rivals MK Dons and Salford City dropping points in the early kick-offs.

But it was Pete Wild's side who had the next big chance.

Billy Blacker's long shot forced a tremendous fingertip save from Connor Ripley to keep the score at 0-0.

However, Blacker should never have been able to evade the number of tackles he did, running from the half way line to the 18-yard-box.

In the final 20 minutes the game opened up as both teams searched for a winner. In fact, Tranmere looked the more likely side to break the deadlock with Ripley making a few more outstanding stops.

Former Robins player Kaiyne Woolery fluffed his lines after getting a late attempt to give the Wirral side a 1-0 lead, just minutes before the visitors scored.

Woolery signed for Tranmere on Friday afternoon. He spent three years with Swindon between 2017 and 2020, but he received a mixed reaction of boos and cheers when entering the field in the 85th minute.

It was eventually Hoilett who gave Holloway's men all three points and moved them closer to automatic promotion to League One.

It was a well-tempered match in the stands and on the pitch, despite both sets of fans outlining their frustration towards referee Thomas Parsons on several occasions.

Sol Solomon received the only yellow card of the game for a cynical foul on Jake Batty.

It was a well-fought game for both sides on the whole and Swindon were slightly fortunate to earn all three points, despite dominating possession for large periods.

Holloway will hope his men can replicate the grit and determination shown against Tranmere and Gillingham, across the rest of the season. If so, it could be League One football for the Robins next season.

Swindon return to the County Ground next Saturday to face Fleetwood Town, where they will look to make it three wins in a row.

STFC Lineup: Ripley, Wright, Knight-Lebel, Tafazolli, Batty, Borland, Oldaker, Kilkenny, Bodin, Drinan, Holman.

TRFC Lineup: Marosi, McGowan, Smith, Negru, Brough, Finley, Blacker, Solomon, Whitaker, Ironside.