Curle relieved but pleased to stop the rot with Swindon victory

Keith Curle was a relieved man after Cobblers did things the hard way en route to their first home league win of the season on Tuesday night.

After losing their previous four league games, Town battled to a 2-1 victory over Swindon Town as Christopher Missilou and Danny Rose scored their first goals for the club for a 2-0 half-time lead.

It was a different story in the second-half when Swindon pressed for a way back into the game but despite Tyler Smith's 76th minute penalty, the Cobblers held on.

"I'm really pleased to get the win," said Curle. "I thought there were a lot of positives to take out of the game, especially in the first-half.

"We showed our dominance and we looked a real threat. In the second-half I thought we were a bit nervy and we struggled to do the simple things well.

"I had a feeling that our first home win would end up being a scruffy affair but we showed good resolve and we defended our six-yard box very well."

Curle again shook things up by making four changes from the side that lost at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

He added: "I made a few changes to freshen it up after the weekend and I think it shows the hunger we've got in the squad because people who were left out on Saturday came back in and got an opportunity tonight.

"I think it was the right thing to do to freshen it up because it gave us good impetus in the first-half and we were able to play on the front foot. We probably could have put the game to bed - we know at this club that 2-0 is a difficult lead to defend!"