IT WILL be of little encouragement to Town fans, but their side actually played well in the 2-1 defeat to Peterborough United.

There were shoots of green sprouting all over the place, but unfortunately for Town, these were denied light by some familiar failings and a temporary loss of brain function from their goalkeeper.

For two thirds of the game Mark Cooper’s side of square pegs in round holes bettered an in-form Peterborough United, who have one of the strongest squads in League One.

When Jon Taylor exploited space deserted by Raphael Branco and squeezed the ball under Lawrence Vigouroux seven minutes before half time it was a goal that had been coming for 10 minutes, but prior to that it had been all Town.

Ben Gladwin was waltzing around the pitch completely oblivious to the fact he was playing in a struggling side and making a mockery of any Posh challenge on him. His combination of physicality and technique is a joy to behold when he is in such form.

Had he been able to find the net with one of his many shots then he might have won the game for Town on his own.

The return of the player Town transformed from non-league flair player to multi-million pound footballer also gave his team direction.

Gladwin played clever, risky passes into the box and almost found teammates in dangerous positions a number of times. No one in red has had the confidence to try what the QPR loanee did of late.

Unfortunately, Vigouroux chose the wrong time to have a moment of madness when, less than 10 minutes after the break, he appeared to try and let Branco’s back pass run across his body but did not protect the ball, tamely surrendering it to Lee Angol and giving Posh a nice cushion.

Town did summon a fightback and had they been able to get Gladwin more of the ball, they might have made more of the present given to them by Michael Bostwick’s own goal. The Peterborough man’s misfortune gave Swindon 20 minutes to try to level the contest, but they found a well-organised back-line from there on in and could not fashion a leveller.

Prior to kick-off, and more by misfortune than by judgement, Cooper had to make three changes to his team from Tuesday’s derby defeat at Oxford.

Gladwin came in for the first start of his short loan stint, playing at the tip of a midfield three. The QPR man was joined in the side by fellow newcomer Adam El-Abd, the Egypt international taking his place at centre-back.

Louis Thompson returned to the side, though not in his usual central midfield slot. Instead Thompson was rushed back from Denmark where he spent Friday night with the Wales Under 21s and was utilised as an emergency right-back to help out with Town’s current defensive shortage.

Considering the unfamiliarity of the Town team, they started the match in a bright fashion. El-Abd looked comfortable playing the ball out from the back and added a bit of muscle in defence and the midfield looked cohesive.

Thompson impressed in his darts forward from full-back, with his combination of muscular physicality and technical skill looking suited, if a little wasted, in such a position.

Although it was Gladwin who was the undoubted star of the show. He was at the heart of all Town’s best moves.

First-up he prompted Nicky Ajose to move into the space behind Peterborough’s left full-back with a raking crossfield ball, the striker was able to pick out Jermaine Hylton in the middle, who having got his head to the ball, should have done better with his effort. Instead he found row B of the Stratton Bank.

Gladwin was making space for himself and causing havoc in front of the Posh back-line, next he was to win a free-kick just on the edge of the box where Anton Rodgers attempted a repeat of the routine which saw him find the net against Leyton Orient last season. Having successful flicked the ball up, Rodgers put his volley wide, but not by much.

At this stage Posh were being restricted to efforts from range until Angol got on the end of a Taylor cross to head just wide.

Not wanting to be out of the action for long, Gladwin almost embarrassed Ben Alnwick with a vicious dipping strike which bounced just in front of the keeper, who was relieved to see his attempt to smother the ball take it over the bar instead.

More long-range efforts from Gladwin rained in on Alnwick’s goal, but none were able to find the target. At this stage his 11-1 price to be first goalscorer looked a horse to back.

However, a side with as many talented players as Peterborough are not going to be out of the game forever and their own shots from distance were edging closer. Christopher Forrester fired just wide from 40 yards and then Taylor smacked the post with a cross-cum-shot from the right channel.

Vigouroux was left standing by those efforts, but had to be called into action moments later when Forrester pounced a loose ball into the box and stabbed goalward. The keeper did well to bat the strike away to safety.

When Taylor’s goal did come it was hardly a surprise. Town had been struggling to get out of their half for 10 minutes.

It was a neat move from the Posh midfield which saw one-touch passes draw Branco out of position to cover for the absence of Rodgers in front of him and allow Taylor to dart behind. A first-time volley from Bostwick sprung the trap and Taylor did well to put his shot through the legs of Vigouroux, although the keeper might feel he could have done better That was it for the first half as Town could not muster a response, their confidence clearly dimmed by conceding.

A half-time reshuffle brought Thompson into midfield, but did little to settle Swindon.

Peterborough were still on top and were gifted a second goal in the 52nd minute. Branco returned a back-pass to his keeper, who seemed to misread the pace of the ball as he tried to let it run on to his left foot. It meant for a laughable scenario where he Angol, who pressed Vigouroux, was presented with a simple tap-in with the keeper flatfooted.

To their credit, Swindon did respond. James Brophy was impressive again going forward and just past the hour mark, he twisted and turned to find some space in the box before putting his shot wide.

Bostwick gave Town a bit of relief when he put the ball into his own net in the 72nd minute. Rodgers’ free-kick from the right was whipped in at pace and the Posh midfielder stretched to place a bullet header into his own net with Alnwick stranded behind him.

Gladwin was trying his best to find an equaliser but seemed to have lost his radar as his efforts on goal totted up. Most of his shots either disappeared into or bounced back off the Town End, but there was urgency from him and his temmmates.

When the final whistle went Town’s players were afforded a polite applause for their efforts and they did merit it. Whilst there will be no quick fix to their current injury crisis, this did look like a team capable of turning the tide.