THE transfer window is closed and Cherries fans will be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

If it had remained open a few more weeks, the club’s newest striking talent would no doubt be catching the eye of potential suitors.

From virtual unknown to composed first-team performer in what seems the blink of an eye, Danny Ings continues to make quite an impact.

He scored his maiden senior goal last night and if recent displays prove an accurate gauge, there will be plenty more to come.

The Swindon defence was given a torrid time by the young frontman and, particularly in the opening 45 minutes, found him too hot to handle. Such was his sharpness in and around the penalty area and the creativity of those around him, he could have had a hat-trick by the interval.

His close-range finish came after Paul Caddis had cancelled out Liam Feeney’s eighth-minute strike in a lively start to the action at Dean Court.

Cherries were well worth their half-time lead but they were made to show all their fighting qualities as Swindon improved in the second period.

Matt Ritchie deservedly equalised for the visitors after the break but Danny Hollands, returning to the side after Marvin Bartley joined Eddie Howe at Burnley, hammered home on 72 minutes to keep Cherries well and truly in the promotion race.

Hollands was the only change for Lee Bradbury, who took charge of his first home game since succeeding Howe on a permanent basis Relegation threatened Swindon, who arrived in Dorset without a win in their past five matches, should have opened the scoring within three minutes.

Shaun Cooper almost paid the price for trying to skip round Dossevi when he was Cherries’ last man, leaving the frontman with a clear run on goal. Goalkeeper Shwan Jalal saved the day, though, producing a save with his legs.

And the struggling Wiltshire side were cruelly punished five minutes later when Feeney’s 25-yarder looped over Phil Smith after taking a deflection off Jonathan Douglas.

The goal sparked confident Cherries into life. Bright in possession and hard working off the ball, Bradbury’s men soon began to create opportunities.

Livewire Ings was denied by a Smith block after latching on to a Symes flick-on, before the former Accrington forward saw a header and then low drive of his own well kept out by the Swindon stopper.

The home faithful were left shocked as the Robins levelled with a super strike on 22 minutes, Caddis thumping home from 15 yards after slicing through the Cherries defence.

But Cherries’ supporters need not have worried, as they regained the lead five minutes later.

After Feeney had seen his crisp volley tipped wide by Smith, Ings got the goal his fine recent form had deserved with a textbook poacher’s strike. Smith once again did well to save Swindon when he parried a powerful header from Symes, but Ings was on hand to open his account by netting the rebound.

With Symes a dominant force and Ings a constant bright spark, Cherries were now forcing the Robins on to the back foot for long periods.

Ings was unfortunate not to double his tally on 32 minutes when he got ahead of his marker to meet a Pugh cross, only to see his flicked header cannon back off the far post.

He then saw the woodwork deny him on the stroke of half-time. Profiting from a beautiful Symes pass, Ings’s shot from the narrowest of angles agonisingly clipped the top of the crossbar.

After the break, Cherries were forced to do much of their work in the defensive third as Swindon came out in positive fashion.

And they once again hauled themselves back on to level terms with a 58th-minute equaliser.

After Dossevi had hit the post and Jalal had kept out a Caddis effort, Ritchie, a scorer against Cherries at the County Ground last month, repeated the feat by lashing home the loose ball.

Cherries looked like they had gone behind nine minutes later when Dossevi headed home brilliantly from 12 yards, but the effort was disallowed for pushing.

And against the run of play, Swindon’s misery was compounded by Hollands. Capping an energetic performance, he fired past Smith off the underside of the bar to spark delight – and relief – around Dean Court. Smith parried a Symes drive and when the keeper could only swing a punch at Feeney’s high ball back into the danger area, Hollands capitalised.

There was still time for the Robins to cause a major scare, with Caddis creating an opportunity for himself with just moments remaining. But Cooper produced a miraculous goal-line clearance to divert the low drive over his own bar.