SWINDON Town slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United in League One this afternoon.

Jose Baxter’s second-half header was enough to separate the sides at Bramall Lane, as an encouraging first-half performance from Swindon was completely undone by a miserable display after the break.

Town had to withstand an early period of pressure in the opening exchanges, with Wes Foderingham saving from Tony McMahon and Grant Hall’s head getting between Baxter’s free-kick and an early lead for the Blades.

It took until the 37th minute for Swindon to muster a shot at goal but in the final exchanges of the first period the visitors edged into the ascendancy.

Ryan Mason and Nicky Ajose saw their efforts saved by George Long in the Blades goal, while Hall’s overhead kick landed on the roof of the net as the Robins began to show their class.

The interval aided United, who came out for the second half with renewed fervour. Baxter’s fizzing attempt was pushed to safety by Foderingham in the 51st minute before a combination of Jay McEveley and Chris Porter diverted the ball gently onto a post 60 seconds later.

Swindon survived a scare in the 63rd minute when referee Duncan seemed to penalise Foderingham for keeping hold of the ball for too long, as United fluffed the free-kick right on the edge of the box.

However, parity was looking increasingly fragile and so it proved with 23 minutes remaining.

Town couldn’t compete in a game of head tennis inside their own area and Baxter rose highest to loop his header over Foderingham. It was a deserved lead for a Blades outfit who outfought their guests throughout the second half.

Such was the pathetic nature of Swindon’s attempts to get back into the game, fans in the away end resorted to celebrating make believe shots at goal in the second period. It was a damning indictment of a lacklustre period of football.

Massimo Luongo dragged wide and Pritchard’s tame effort was easy for Long to save in the dying minutes, as Town went out with a whimper.