Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio claimed his side have "one finger" on the npower League Two title after Paul Benson scored his ninth goal of the season to secure a 1-0 win over promotion rivals Cheltenham.
Di Canio has set his side a target of four victories to secure an instant return to League One after last season's relegation heartache but his side could have been behind on 31 minutes. Oliver Risser bundled over Darryl Duffy to concede an obvious penalty but Cheltenham's top scorer saw his kick saved smartly by Wes Foderingham.
Benson tucked home the winner on the half volley to seal the three points for Di Canio, who said: "We have one finger on the title and are closer to promotion than we were before the game because of the other results that went in our favour."
He added: "Cheltenham were the better team for the opening 20 minutes and we had to dig very deep but these are the type of games you have to win to be successful.
"In the second half they did not create any chances and just tried to kick the ball in the air so we had to be resolute and stay focused."
Di Canio's side are now seven points clear at the top of the division and he added: "These players did not get any credit last season because they were relegated and now they are top of the table so deserve to be applauded for what we have achieved."
The defeat leaves Cheltenham fourth in the table behind Shrewsbury and Southend but manager Mark Yates remains confident.
"I was delighted with the performance," he said. "Swindon are a strong side but we have proved we are a match for anyone.
"On our day we are the best team in the league. Swindon have found a level of consistency and a winning mentality but we battered them in every department.
"They knew they were in a game from the first minute and on another day we would have had three points. If we produce 10 more performances like that we will go up."
