Swindon midfielder admits 'aggressive' Cobblers are 'very hard to play against' but rues Robins' poor defending

Robins midfielder Ben Gladwin believes his team should have taken something from Saturday’s game despite admitting Swindon found it ‘very hard’ to break down an ‘aggressive’ and ‘organised’ Cobblers side.

As predicted, Swindon dominated the possession and passing statistics at the County Ground on Saturday but their control of the ball did not translate into many clear-cut chances, with the hosts registering just one shot on target across the 100 minutes.

Northampton defended well and also looked dangerous on the break with Louis Appéré missing a one-on-one opportunity in the first-half and Mitch Pinnock scooping over when well-placed in the second. Nonetheless, despite Jonny Williams giving Swindon the lead, Cobblers came away with all three points thanks to Ben Fox’s equaliser and Pinnock’s late winner.

"I think the most frustrating thing was that we were well in the game against a good team at this level,” said Gladwin. "Obviously we were in the lead and you don’t expect to lose the game but we conceded two goals that we shouldn’t be conceding. It’s not like they carved us open and there were things we could have done to stop them.

"From an attacking point of view, they are very, very organised and they know exactly what they are trying to do in a very direct fashion and they are good at it. You have to be a bit nasty and win first balls and second balls. I don’t think the conditions helped because it was quite windy and the sun was very low.

‘For us to try and smooth the ball out and then play, with them being so aggressive, is very hard to play against. Naturally, when you’re in control of the game and you have the football, you will look like you have more energy.

"We could have done a bit better on second balls and second contacts but it was not a pretty game and I don’t think it would have been an enjoyable one to watch. But we should have taken something from the game.”