THE 4-4-2 formation is flawed as a means of dominating a football match. Though it provides a nice balance of midfield, defence and attack, up against an increasingly common five-man midfield it will be overrun by the opposition’s tactical nous.

However it is by no means a redundant system, as proved by Sheffield United against Town on Saturday. When employed with discipline and application it can still stifle a possession-based approach.

By installing two banks of four in front of the goal the Blades challenged Town to come and break them down, knowing they had the quality up front to make the most of the chances when they got them. It worked perfectly.

For all of Swindon’s nice and purposeful play they did not create enough clear-cut chances. The ball would move from left to right, but with two solid lines of players to get through Town did not have enough to break United down.

The home side were hampered on Saturday by their lack of natural full-backs, though it is a problem they have had all season, with neither regular starter, Nathan Thompson or Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, yet to offer a consistent threat.

The best chance of the game for Swindon came early on when Jordan Turnbull created and made the most of a rare overload on the left-hand side. Turnbull may not have kept control of the ball, but his presence drew the Sheffield defence out of position and allowed Nathan Byrne to have a shot in space from the edge of the box, which he should have done better with.

It was a false dawn as such an opening was not created again by Town.

The other problem was Michael Smith. On form Smith can be a dangerous striker, but when low on confidence he tends to neglect the side of his game which sees him get goals, his clever movement in the box.

When he was on his early-season hot streak last year he would find space between defenders on the shoulder, but now he is too quick to drop deep and try to link play (a side of his game which has improved dramatically). It means he is not often in a position to get shots off in the box.

With Smith likely to be main man for a little while longer it is imperative Town find a way to get him firing again.