IF LAST week was a bolt from the blue, then this was a club around the head.

Swindon Town won 4-0 away at Chesterfield. Read that back.

Martin Ling is a humble man, but he is starting to enjoy announcing his league record at the helm. He did it after Scunthorpe, Walsall and, mostly proudly, after seeing off the Spireites and why not?

In League One, Ling is played four, won three, lost one. Despite suffering a 5-1 defeat, Town’s goal difference under the new man is +2 and against Chesterfield, Swindon kept their first clean sheet since August and only their second since April.

This win was undoubtedly Town’s finest this season. That’s not saying much, but Sheffield United play-off semi-final aside, it was probably their best in 2015 too.

It could not have started more perfectly either. A lovely sweeping move from left to right and back again allowed Nicky Ajose to swoop from six yards.

Just 15 minutes in the visitors were two up, Louis Thompson powering past Tommy Lee in the Chesterfield goal.

In the second half Jonathan Obika powered home a third and Ajose gave the hardy travellers from Wiltshire even more to be happy about when he added his second.

Despite the score and shutout this was not the perfect performance. It could have been 4-4 in truth.

Chesterfield missed good chances, hit the bar and forced Lawrence Vigouroux into more than one spectacular stop. Yet they were on the end of a fine performance - there can be no doubting that.

Swindon’s midfield, diamond-like in their shape, were also so in their value to the performance. The intelligence of Ben Gladwin, Thompson and Fabien Robert, combined with the tactical discipline of Anton Rodgers, allowed their team to pose a threat to Chesterfield’s back line when in possession of the ball.

When not, Robert and Thompson doubled back to help the full-backs and Gladwin battled with Sam Morsy at the base of the Spireites’ midfield.

Up top, Ajose and Obika began to look like a dangerous strike pair and linked up on a number of occasions.

Ling was quick to sing the praises of his defence after their first clean sheet in three months and they deserved the plaudits. Adam El-Abd led them through the ugly stuff and when they were caught out Vigouroux was there to show his worth.

Shorn of the services of stand-in skipper Raphael Branco, the Town boss and assistant Luke Williams prepared a 4-4-2 diamond. Rodgers returned to the starting XI, ostensibly to replace Branco, but playing at the base of midfield rather than in defence.

Robert got his first start since his injury at Blackpool in place of the injured Yaser Kasim.

In what were some fair bleak conditions in Derbyshire, Swindon got the kind of start they have not enjoyed in a long time. Gladwin picked the lock down the Chesterfield left to play Bradley Barry in behind the full-back. The youngster got to the byline and squared the ball fiercely across goal for Ajose to sweep in from six yards.

The visiting supporters at the opposite end could not have hoped for a better winter warmer.

At least not until the 14th minute, when Thompson doubled the advantage. Barry was again the provider, spotting Thompson’s surge past him and dabbing the ball into his path.

After his spectacular winner against Walsall the younger Thompson brother was in no mood to be tentative and smacked his shot low at the near post. The shot sufficiently surprised Spireites stopper Lee who could only get a weak glove on the ball as it went past him.

Town were certainly on top, but their hosts’ spirit was not broken. In between the goals they had a big chance where Barry had to be smart to block Lee Novak’s effort.

Obika, clearly a bit envious of the others getting in on the act, could have made it 3-0 just after the 20-minute mark, drawing a good save from Lee after a powerful run and shot from the striker.

However from here on until the break Chesterfield reasserted themselves on the game. Jay O’Shea on the right and left-back Daniel Jones were testing Swindon’s resilience to the cross with a number of dangerous balls into the box. Most found El-Abd, or partner Jordan Turnbull, in good form, but they also served to provide a few nervous moments.

Jones had the biggest chance to get his side back into the game. Liam O’Neil’s deep cross from the right found the full-back unmarked at the back post, but Jones could not control his first-time volley and sent it over the bar with Vigouroux stranded.

In the closing minutes of the half there were two more opportunities for the Spireites to cut the deficit. Gboly Ariyibi burst free in the box, but his attempted dink over Vigouroux went wide. Then O’Shea turned smartly on the edge of the box and crashed a drive off the crossbar.

Having been the better of the sides after going two down, Chesterfield almost went in having conceded a third. Gladwin found Obika in space inside the area with a disguised backheel and the striker’s charged-down effort looped just wide.

Recharged after the break Town did get their third goal shortly after. Gladwin evaded Morsy in midfield and played the ball into Obika’s path some 30 yards from goal. The striker took his time and beat Ian Evatt with a dummy to create room for a firm strike that whistled low into the corner of the net.

It was clearly not going to be Chesterfield’s day and matters got worse for them when they lost Jones.

Despite the departure of one of the chief creative forces, the Spireites continued to pile forward and Town needed to concentrate for long periods to keep them at bay.

On the occasion when they were picked off Vigouroux was in fine form. One save in particular from Ariyibi was outstanding, blocking the striker’s first-time effort from barely five yards out after Rai Simons’ cross.

Obika could have had a second shortly after when Thompson played in Ajose down the right. The nippy frontman picked out his partner with a wonderfully aware low cross, but Obika got his stride wrong and could only send his effort wide. It almost came back to Ajose, but the angle and surprise of nature of Obika’s mistake meant he could only find the side-netting.

When Robert beat a defender on the edge of the box and slipped in Ajose he did not make the same error as Obika, placing his shot past Lee to make it 4-0 and allowing Town to stroll through the last 15 minutes.

Gladwin almost got a fifth when his fierce drive was tipped on to the post with the 90 almost up.

As it was 4-0 was more than enough and should be the shot in arm that Town’s confidence levels, as a team and a club, so greatly needed.

A two-week should provide ample time for Ling to get his teeth into his side and the Swindon faithful will be hoping this is not a false dawn.