Curle critical of sloppy defending as Cobblers' play-off hopes take a hit in Robins defeat

Keith Curle was not happy following the Cobblers' 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham

Town led after just three minutes thanks to Ryan Watson's precise low finish but, not for the first time this season, they let slip a lead as the excellent Ryan Broom levelled on 19 minutes.

The game then seemed set to end in a draw after a tight second-half, but Cheltenham salvaged victory when Luke Varney scrambled in a corner with just a few minutes to go.

Curle was disappointed with his side for the way they defended both goals as they slipped to a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions.

"It's a scrambled ball into the box and we just haven't dealt with it," lamented Curle. "We've got to be dealing with balls like that.

"I'm also disappointed with their first goal. We're not competitive enough with the two challenges from a throw-in, the lad cuts inside and a speculative shot ends up in the back of the goal.

"It's disappointing because I think they had one bit of interplay when Dai (Cornell) made a good block and not much else.

"I thought we looked dangerous when we put balls into their box. Lloyd (Jones) had a clean header that hit the foot of the post.

"He was six yards out and you're looking to at least hit the target and make the goalkeeper make a save.

"We had a strong foothold in the game but we just needed a bit more quality."