Ian Holloway reflects on ‘worst week’ despite Swindon easing to victory

Ian Holloway joked he “could do with some happy pills” despite seeing his Swindon side win their third game in a row.

Manchester United loanee James Scanlon got his first League goal to start the rout before second-half strikes from Fletcher Holman and Aaron Drinan kept the Robins flying high.

But Holloway is furious at the club being kicked out of the Vertu Trophy for fielding ineligible players and has regularly blasted football’s bosses.

He said: “We’ve managed to win with the worst week I’ve ever had, honestly.

“We’ve got doping control in there now as well. I said, ‘I hope you got some with you. I could do with some happy pills’.”

But Holloway was greatly cheered by his new signings, with Scanlon and Holman scoring and Junior Hoilett, who enjoyed a fine cameo performance, setting up the clincher.

The Canada star, 35, joined in the hope of getting into his country’s World Cup squad on home soil this summer.

Holloway said: “How old is he? That’s the first thing everybody says. I just say, how good is he? And has he looked after himself and is he on a different level?

“Without a shadow of a doubt – that man walked on that pitch and made it look like it was a doddle, because he knows where everybody else is.

“It’s wonderful to see. And that boy wants to play for Canada, so he has got drive like you wouldn’t believe and that’s what I think will rub off on everybody else.”

Scanlon scored on his home debut, firing in from an acute angle in the 23rd minute after Drinan chased a seemingly lost-cause ball down the channel and managed to hook it back for the Gibraltar star.

Swindon ramped up the pressure after the break and a flowing move involving Hoilett saw Holman fire in from Joe Snowdon’s rebound to double the lead in the 73rd minute.

Seven minutes later Latics got a penalty after Mike Fondop was hauled down but Connor Ripley saved Calum Kavanagh’s effort with his legs.

Drinan tapped in at the death from Hoilett’s cross for the Irishman’s 18th goal of the campaign.

Oldham boss Micky Mellon said: “I’m struggling to think of many opportunities that Swindon had but they were clinical from all of them.

“And people say, well, there wasn’t much difference.

“But the big difference is teams at the top end of the league are there because they’re ruthless, and when they get these opportunities, they take them, and they don’t miss penalties.

“Between the two 18-yard boxes I think we were possibly the better team. But you don’t get points for that. You get points for how you do when you get into that box.”