Town Head Coach Luke Williams admitted he felt hurt after watching his side suffer a 2-0 defeat to local rivals Oxford United this afternoon.
Two goals from Chris Maguire handed the U’s all three points and the bragging rights on Derby Day after a poor display from the visitors.
It was an afternoon to forget for Town who ended the game with nine men following the dismissals of Lloyd Jones and Lawrence Vigouroux during the second-half.
And, speaking to swindontownfc.co.uk in the wake of the game, Williams pulled no punches in his post-match assessment.
“We didn’t cope with the pressure of the atmosphere of the game and I think physically Oxford were too strong for us,” he told swindontownfc.co.uk.
“They overpowered us and we needed to really, really dominate the ball to keep it away from them because anything in close quarters they were stronger than us and winning far too much of the ball.
“They pressed us very high and we weren’t able to get out of that cleanly, so it was a problem.
“I have to look at myself first and I thought we looked compact and capable of defending well up until the penalty, which wasn’t a penalty but that’s football, and when we tried to get more players high up the pitch and pressed a little bit higher, it exposed us at the back.
“I need to look at the game plan and where it could have been better, but it is fine lines if we get to half-time 0-0 and we’ve got some firepower on the bench.
“Boys that are not quite fit to play 90 minutes but coming on at 0-0 could have been a different story, but it wasn’t to be.
“I’m so hurt at the moment - it is difficult to know what hurts me more. The performance has made me very upset and I think the feeling of being beaten here, even if we would have played fantastically well, is gut wrenching.”
Williams also gave his thoughts on Town’s two sending-offs.
“It looks to me like a terrible tackle on Lawrence (Vigouroux) but he reacts in a way that is not acceptable in football now, so I imagine it is fair that he needs to go off,” he added.
“But, and I’m a long way from it, it looks and sounds like a very bad challenge on him.
“I think Lloyd (Jones) is possibly unlucky. I don’t think that the tackle was reckless, it was a bit loose so I think he was unfortunate to be carded the second time.”