Carlisle United slipped into the drop zone with a dismal 3-0 home defeat against Swindon Town.
While they were being beaten at home Oldham were beating Bradford City to leapfrog the Cumbrians and move out of the bottom two for the first time this season.
To add to Carlisle’s embarrassment the Swindon victory owed much to a former Blues player – Harry McKirdy, who scored the first and made the other two.
It completed consecutive wins for the first time since the end of November for the Robins who are now seventh in the last play-off place.
After a bright start by the visitors it was Carlisle who were first to go close when returning skipper Callum Guy seized onto a poor clearance from Jake O’Brien in the seventh minute but fired a strong shot just over from the edge of the box.
The visitors came back and it needed two great blocks by Morgan Feeney to deny Louie Barry when he twice got in on goal.
The Robins continued to set the pace and in the 17th minute they took the lead from McKirdy.
He was on his own just outside the box and although it was a bit of a heavy touch to get round the Carlisle defenders he followed up with a thundering shot into the roof of the net which gave Mark Howard little chance.
The former Carlisle man wasn’t shy in celebrating in front of the home Fans who had been giving him the verbals whenever he touched the ball.
There were more alarms for Carlisle when Howard seemed to have handled outside the area and there could have been more punishment for defender Dynel Simeu when he raised his hands into the face of Josh Davison during a scuffle but only saw yellow.
There were good defensive blocks at both ends of the pitch to deny Barry (Swindon) and Owen Windsor (Carlisle).
But it was Swindon who nearly got the second goal just before the break. Barry cut in from the right and his left foot shot was well struck but beaten away by Howard.
It was pretty even at the start of the second half but it was Town who got the all-important second goal on 55 minutes.
They broke quickly through McKirdy and he picked-out a great run by Josh Davison, on loan from Charlton, and although there was a suspicion of offside he finishing clinically into the bottom corner.
Three minutes later it was game over when McKirdy laid on a third goal for the Robins.
He fired a low cross from the right towards Davison and although he missed it under pressure Barry was in score from close range.
For most of what remained Swindon were content to pass the ball around while the home fans shared their disapproval of what they had witnessed with boos and two pitch-invaders.
