Swindon Town 5 Bradford City 4: Calum Kavanagh nets treble but 10-man Bantams pay heavy late price for Richie Smallwood red in remarkable game

Nine goals, a treble for Calum Kavanagh, who took his tally against Swindon for the season to four, a stupid dismissal for Richie Smallwood and stirring Robins fightback before Halliday time on 77 minutes.

Only for Swindon to go and spoil it in stoppage-time with two hefty blows. Football, bloody hell..

It started when two-goal Harry Smith made it 4-4 before an own goal from Jack Shepherd - a second from a visiting defender - sealed it with a brutal denouement.

City played with 10 men for three-quarters of the match following Smallwood’s stupid dismissal. He will now cop a three-match ban.

On a day when table-topping City needed to make a statement on the road - with their away numbers hardly that of a successful promotion aspirant, it looked like they had, just, but it wasn’t over.

A madcap half saw five goals scored, including a hat-trick, a stupid sending-off and incidents galore.

The upshot was that City led by the odd goal in five, but all bets were off ahead of the second half. Anything could literally happen. And it did.

Swindon’s defending, especially down their left, was astonishingly bad. Smallwood’s X-rated tackle was astonishingly silly with his side 2-0 to the good after a dream start.

The two changes to the starting line-up for City were significant alongside a couple of absentees from the squad and one welcome returnee to the bench.

Shepherd and Brandon Khela came in for Aden Baldwin and George Lapslie, crowned as the division’s player of the month for March, with both not in the match-day squad, which included the fit-again Antoni Sarcevic.

Connor Ripley, son of Middlesbrough legend Stuart, was back in goal for the Robins, with captain Ollie Clarke also back.

In glorious Wiltshire sunshine, flags in support of Stephen Darby, amid his ongoing fight with MND, were displayed in Stratton Bank End from both of his former clubs in a classy touch.

Swindon wore white in a one-off kit to raise money for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, with the Foundation’s name on the front of the shirt.

Just six minutes had elapsed when Kavanagh first announced himself with a sniper’s volley.

at the near-post following a Robins switch-off from Halliday’s long throw.

Another followed four minutes later following more awful home defending.

Smith headed a clearance against the back of team-mate tom Nichols it came perfectly for Kavanagh to guide the ball low past Ripley to pilfer another gift.

Sam Walker then denied Gavin Kilkenny low down after Bradford were opened up before a bonkers half then took another turn following Smallwood’s reckless challenge on Glatzel.

A brief contretemps between both benches following with Alexander copping a booking as tempers got heated.

Swindon then reduced the arrears when Billy Kirkham’s low cross was deflected in off Byrne and you wondered just what would happen next.

Swindon, who threw on sub Botan Ameen - who troubled Doncaster so much last month from the bench - sensed their moment, but their loose defensive work kept Bradford interested.

And then a case of deja vu to goal one, but worse from a Swindon perspective.

Another booming delivery from Halliday bounced twice and Kavanagh couldn’t believe his luck, once again given the freedom of the box to convert another present.

Before City had time to regroup, there was more ahead of the interval whistle.

The Robins, who had gone close when Wright’s venomous dive was beaten away by Walker, pulled another back when Kabango Tshimanga had space at the fair post to slide home following Clarke’s cross-shot.

Four changes, two apiece from each side, were made at the break, with two defenders in Callum Johnson and Ciaran Kelly on for City.

Attacking the Town end, Swindon pushed on and Walker made a fine reaction save to tip over Ameen’s goalbound drive before Harry Westley’s close-range effort deflected just wide.

The pressure continued and Walker was helpless to keep out a downward low drive from Swindon top-scorer Smith, who expertly found space following good work from Ameen and Butterworth.

In keeping with the breathless action, Kavanagh spurned a great chance for a fourth when he was denied by Ripley before Westley got away and was close at the other end.

And then, wonderfully, it was Halliday time.

Kavanagh fed Sarcevic and his angled low shot was blocked. It fell nicely for Halliday, who made no mistake. Cue delirium among Bradford’s fans and bench.

And then it changed. Smith headed in Cox’s cross and then Shepherd put into his own net.

Swindon Town: Ripley; Clarke (Westley 46), Wright, Freckleton; Cotterill, Kilkenny (Butterworth 46), Nicholls (Cox 75), Kirkman (Ameen 28); Glatzel (Ofoborh 76), Tshimanga; Smith. Substitutes unused: Bycroft, Sobowale.

Bradford City: J Walker; Byrne, Shepherd, Crichlow; Halliday, Pattison (Johnson 46), Smallwood, Adaramola; Khela (Sarcevic 74), Pointon (Kelly 46); Kavanagh. Substitutes unused: Hilton, J Walker, Wright, Mellon.

Referee: T Kirk (Manchester)

Attendance: 8,051 (1,102 Bradford fans).