Full-time: Swindon Town 4 Scunthorpe United 2. Swindon Town overturned a two-goal half-time deficit to extend their unbeaten run to five games at the County Ground this afternoon.

Town's chances of maintaining their recent upturn in form appeared to be dead and buried as promotion-chasing Scunthorpe United forged a two-goal lead at the break following efforts from Gary Hooper and Henri Lansbury.

But some unnecessary indiscipline from the Iron in the opening quarter-of-an-hour of the second-half saw defenders Cliff Byrne and David Mirfin sent for early baths for picking up two yellow cards apiece.

Within three minutes of Mirfin's departure Town capitalised on the numerical advantage to reduce the deficit when Michael Timlin fired a vicious effort in from the edge of the box.

Scunthorpe's improvised 4-4-0 formation failed to stem the Town tide and parity was restored when substitute Anthony McNamee's whipped cross to the near post was glanced into his own net by Andrew Wright.

The game looked certain to end in a draw when Hal Robson-Kanu spurned a good chance from 10 yards out in the 82nd minute, but the Reading loanee made amends two minutes later by firing home from inside the box.

Substitute Lee Peacock put the result beyond doubt by diverting Anthony McNamee's cross home off his chest with four minutes remaining to kick-start Town's bid to climb away from the relegation zone.

Town had began the game in cavalier fashion and should have been in front just five minutes in when Timlin saw a vicious effort from distance rattle the underside of the crossbar before striker Billy Paynter squandered a chance to convert the rebound.

Simon Cox had already seen Scunthorpe goalkeeper Joe Murphy pull off a fine reflex save to keep out his close-range header off the back of a pin-point Timlin free-kick delivery.

Those two missed opportunities proved to be Town's best of the opening period as Scunthorpe plundered the two goals that looked likely to bank all the points before the dramatic second-half turnaround.

Swindon Town (4-4-2): Brezovan; J Smith, Ifil, Vincent, Jean-Francois (Morrison 46); Amankwaah (McNamee 54), Kanyuka, Timlin, Robson-Kanu; Cox, Paynter (Peacock 68). Subs not used: P Smith, Allen.

Scunthorpe United: (4-5-1): Murphy; Byrne, Mirfin, Pearce, Wright; Sparrow, Togwell, McCann, Lansbury (Woolford 58), Hurst (Thompson 58); Hooper (Hayes 67). Subs not used: Lillis, Morris.