SWINDON Town turned on the style as they rubber-stamped a place in the League One play-offs with an indomitable first half display at Rochdale.

Ben Gladwin was the inspiration behind Town’s irresistible blitz at Spotland, with the former non-league midfielder stealing the limelight with his first professional hat-trick.

The hosts could have struck first blood with just four minutes on the clock when Ian Henderson played in wide-man Joe Bunney but – not for the first time this season – Town goalie Wes Foderingham came to his team’s rescue with a fine save to deny the Dale youngster.

Up the other end, Jon Obika superbly swivelled away from a defender before playing in strike partner Michael Smith, who shifted to the right before flashing a low shot past the upright.

But Rochdale threatened again instantly in the 12th minute, with Henderson knocking a teasing dink into the path of Bunney, only for Foderingham to rush off his line and force his opponent to skew his attempted chip harmlessly wide.

Former Swindon man Michael Rose had the Town crossbar rattling when Foderingham was forced to finger-tip his free-kick onto the bar but within seconds, the visitors got themselves ahead with a ruthlessly-effective counter-attack.

Town broke with pace and Nathan Byrne slid in Gladwin, who finished with aplomb, knocking a controlled effort into the bottom corner past a despairing Jamie Jones.

That goal got the Swindon machine motoring and just two minutes later, with 22 on the clock, defender Jack Stephens got on the ball on the edge of the area, played a simple pass into the feet of Smith, and he wriggled free before lashing into the same corner as Gladwin.

The visiting fans were in dreamland but that didn’t stop the hosts roaring back, with Bunney heading Joe Rafferty’s glorious cross over the bar before Henderson’s audacious lob over the head of Foderingham pinged against the post before rebounding tamely into the Swindon goalie’s hands.

Just past the half-hour mark, Town handed themselves even more breathing space by popping the ball into that bottom right-hand corner once again, midfielder Gladwin riding a handful of challenges before firing home to make it 3-0.

And the tall midfielder wasn’t done there. He quickly followed up his first professional brace by, after being brought down by a despairing challenge in the area, dusting himself off and slamming an unstoppable spot-kick into the net to seal his treble.

The only difference this time was that the ball ended up in the left of the goal, not the right.

Unfortunately for Gladwin, he added a blot to his copybook on the stroke of half-time, tripping Andrew Cannon and causing referee Nigel Miller to point to the penalty spot once again.

Henderson took the resultant kick and despite Foderingham getting down well to make a save down to his left, the ball span upwards into the air before looping over the line.

The breakneck pace of the evening finally subsided early in the second period, with Foderingham comfortably holding an effort from Jamie Allen and the Dale defence scrambling away Byrne’s dangerous ball across the face of goal.

Jones pulled off a superb double-save to twice deny Obika just past the hour-mark, with the home goalie keeping out the striker’s side-footed effort and subsequent follow-up, and despite Dale searching for a way to hit back up the other end of the pitch, they got no change out of the Swindon defence.

Mark Cooper’s men were able to coast through the final stages but in the third minute of injury time, the hosts grabbed a late consolation as Reuben Noble-Lazarus' dangerous low cross into a crowd of players saw returning skipper Nathan Thompson turn the ball into his own net.

But Town were safe in the knowledge that one of their finest 45-minute displays of the season had got the job done.

SWINDON TOWN: Wes Foderingham, Nathan Thompson (C), Nathan Byrne, Massimo Luongo, Jack Stephens, Ben Gladwin (John Swift 72), Anton Rodgers, Sam Ricketts, Michael Smith (Jermaine Hylton 86), Jon Obika (Andy Williams 72), Harry Toffolo.

Subs not used: Cameron Belford, George Barker, Jack Barthram.

ROCHDALE: Jamie Jones, Joe Raffery, Rhys Bennett (Bastien Hery 76), Ashley Eastham, Peter Vincenti (Calvin Andrew 63), Jamie Allen, Michael Rose (Reuben Noble-Lazarus 45), Andrew Cannon, Tom Kennedy, Joe Bunney, Ian Henderson (C).

Subs not used: Josh Lillis, Febian Brandy, Joel Logan, Callum Camps.

Attendance: 2,344