SWINDON Town suffered their first defeat of pre-season as Reading came from behind to secure a 2-1 win.

On a sweltering evening at the County Ground, it was John Goddard’s strike in first-half injury time that was the difference between the two sides at the break.

However, Town’s desire to play it out from the back cost them 11 minutes from time when Deniss Rakels scored from close range.

Substitute Jack Stacey scored the winner for the Championship side with three minutes remaining to inflict a first defeat of the summer on Luke Williams’ team.

It took until the 10th minute before Swindon had a sight of goal, James Brophy kept the ball well down the left before feeding it to Yaser Kasim just inside the box.

The Iraqi’s first touch took the ball past his man but his curled effort went high and wide of the far post.

Goddard, a player who looks comfortable in the hole, earned Town a free-kick on the edge of the box when he was brought down by Robert Dickie after a smart turn in the 17th minute.

Anton Rodgers stepped up for the resulting set-piece but watched on as his effort clear Ansi Jaakkola’s bar.

In the 22nd minute, Craig Tanner was played in nicely on the left hand-side of the box but, free of his man, he dragged his shot wide of Vigouroux's goal on the turn.

That cued a drinks break for both sides and the visitors stepped it up a gear after the break,, with Josh Barrett first forcing Jamie Sendles-White into a good challenge in the box, before stinging the palms of Vigouroux.

Swindon came back into the game as the half wore on, Kasim and Rodgers working a nice free-kick, earned by Brophy, with the Iraqi international seeing his shot pushed wide by Jaakkola in the 38th minute.

With the score looking like it would be level at the break, Goddard tried his luck from outside the box and when it took a wicked deflection off a Reading defender, Jaakkola was left hapless as he watched the ball find the back of the net.

Williams started with the same line-up for the second half and it was Thomas who was gifted a chance to double the hosts’ lead in the 53rd minute.

Nathan Thompson played a fine reverse pass that put the former Coventry man in one-on-one with Jaakkola but the Reading stopper was off his line quickly to smoother the chance.

Williams made two changes on the hour-mark as Jordan Stewart and Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill replaced Jermaine Hylton and Brophy, while Ellis Iandolo and Jordan Young were introduuced for Kasim and Goddard 15 minutes later.

However, it was a return of suicide football at the back that cost Town as they overplayed the ball and it was cut out by Reading for Tanner to put it on a plate for substitute Rakels in the six-yard-box, with 13 minutes left on the clock.

Swindon were dealt the killer blow three minutes from the end as substitute Jack Stacey caught them on the break down the right and kept his composure to beat Vigouroux.

Triallist Harly Wise, first-cousin once removed of former Town manager Dennis Wise, was an unused substitute.

The 20-year-old was among a number of youngsters who were released by Championship club Queens Park Rangers back in May.

SWINDON TOWN XI: Vigouroux, Barry, Kasim (Iandolo 75’), Rodgers, Thompson, Goddard (Young 75’), Thomas, Hylton (Stewart 60’), Brophy (Ormonde-Ottewill 60’), Sendles-White, Branco