NATHAN Thompson believes that the way opponents are setting up against Swindon Town proves there is a fear factor about them again.

During a miserable spell in the autumn months, teams were able to easily get at Town and they often found themselves on the back foot in games.

However, Town are gradually looking like their old selves again and trying to boss games in the way they did en route to the League One play-off final last season.

Club captain Thompson believes that the fact that Swindon have re-discovered their attacking mojo is being acknowledged by rival teams, who are now trying to stifle them rather than press them.

Town have had more possession their opposition in the last three games against Sheffield United, Barnsley and Port Vale but have collected just one point and defender Thompson says they must be smarter with the ball.

“Teams now are starting to respect us a little bit more with the ball again,” Thompson told BBC Wiltshire.

“The early part of the season, they sort of attacked us and tried to set-up and play a game of football against us.

“Now they are sitting in two banks of four and it’s tough to break down but it’s up to us, if we are going to play in this manner, to iron those sorts of things out and make sure we can do that.”

A single goal has been enough to beat Town in the last two games, with Swindon caught out in the dying minutes at home to Barnsley last Saturday and in the opening exchanges in midweek at Vale Park.

As they look to arrest that plight away against high-flying Gillingham this afternoon, Thompson is well aware that they cannot afford any lapses in concentration at the Priestfield Stadium.

“It is extremely frustrating. To lose both games 1-0 in the manner we did is annoying but we will re-focus,” added Thompson.

“We know where we’ve gone wrong. I felt that we weren’t maybe clinical enough in and around the area, a little bit sloppy at times and then you get punished.

“It was the eighth minute on Tuesday and the 88th or 90th minute on Saturday. We can’t afford to switch off like that.”