Swindon Town 2 Bristol Rovers 1

For Swindon Town fans, this game will be memorable as the derby victory which ensured their League One survival for another term.

For Bristol Rovers' keeper Steve Phillips, it was barely memorable at all.

The encounter was just four minutes old when Gordon Greer's long ball forward bounced towards the edge of the Pirates' box.

Phillips, Rovers defender Byron Anthony and Robins' marksman Billy Paynter all converged on it – and the resulting collision left all three players spreadeagled on the pitch.

The only beneficiary was Swindon's leading scorer Simon Cox, who duly rolled the loose ball into an unguarded net to give the home side a fortuitous early lead.

After a lengthy stoppage, Anthony was ferried away on a stretcher while Phillips also looked distinctly groggy.

"I came to try and punch the ball clear but can't really remember what happened and had to ask Steve Elliott about it afterwards," said Phillips.

"I know there was a collision involving me and Byron and Billy Paynter as well.

"I got something on the ball but it just rolled straight to Coxy and he put it into an empty net.

"Our physio Phil Kite wanted me to go off but I wanted to stay on for the team to try and rectify what was probably my mistake. It was touch and go for the next 25 minutes whether I'd be able to stay out there because I didn't feel well at all.

"The only reason I did stay on was because it didn't affect my vision.

"Poor Byron seemed to come off worse than I did – so I've obviously got a thicker skull than him, although I probably lost a few brain cells."

The early setback did little to help the visitors settle – and soon after the resumption, Phillips needed to beat out an angled shot from Paynter.

But the Pirates were handed a foothold in the game by an equaliser even more bizarre than Swindon's opener.

Kevin Amankwaah attempted a clearance some 20 yards from his own goal, but the ball struck Rovers' substitute Darryl Duffy – on in place of Anthony – and promptly rebounded back in to the net, eluding the despairing dive of Phil Smith as it rolled into the corner of the net.

From then on, the visitors had the better of the opening period but could not manage to find the net again.

Smith made a fine one-handed save to tip Chris Lines' acrobatic 20-yarder away for a corner, and from the set piece Duffy missed his kick from six yards.

Rickie Lambert was left holding his head in his hands when he nodded a good chance over the top from a David Pipe cross and the Scouser did the same from another Stuart Campbell corner just before the break.

A strong wind blowing down the ground may have contributed to the fact that the visitors had most of the first-half impetus, for Swindon made it harder for Rovers to get forward and create chances in the second period.

After 54 minutes, Cox got the better of Aaron Lescott and broke clear, but the striker had been forced wide and Phillips was able to block his angled shot.

It looked as though Lambert was going to get his name on the scoresheet on the hour, but Jerel Ifil threw his body in the way to make a superb block as the Pirates' leading scorer attempted to fire home from Jo Kuffour's pass.

After that, the game appeared set to fizzle out. But the Robins were not content to settle for a point and carved out more opportunities over the closing stages.

Phillips fingertipped away Paynter's downward header from Amankwaah's cross as it bounced towards the far corner of the net, then had an escape as Cox's glancing header drifted just wide of an upright.

But the striker's 30th goal of the season – and his 27th in the league – was to win his side the game nine minutes from time.

Once again there was a slight air of the ridiculous about it as Amankwaah's cross from the right was certainly not the best he has ever struck. But it seemed to strike both Steve Elliott and Campbell before once again falling for Cox, who duly despatched his opportunity in clinical fashion.

Phillips had to make a fine save to prevent Cox completing his hat-trick in the closing minutes before Lambert stabbed a great chance wide for the Gas at the death.

"Cox is a decent player – in fact their front four are probably as good as pretty much anything in the division – but we probably helped him with both of his goals," reflected Phillips.

"Now we've got to beat Hartlepool next weekend. If we lose our last three games of the season, we want hanging.

"If we win, we can go away with a smile on our faces and it won't have been a bad season.

"With a bit more consistency, we'd probably have had something to play for over the last six games."

Swindon Town: Phil Smith, Amankwaah, Ifil, Greer, Vincent, Robson-Kanu (McGovern 64), Kanyuka (Easton 13), Tudur Jones, McNamee (Jack Smith 84), Paynter, Cox. Subs not used: Brezovan, Jean-Francois.

Bristol Rovers: Phillips, Pipe, Elliott, Anthony (Duffy 10), Lescott, Lines, Campbell, Disley, Hughes, Lambert, Kuffour. Subs not used: St Louis-Hamilton, Hunt, Rigg, Reece.