DIRECTOR of rugby Martin Lloyd reckons it is a sign of how highly Swindon College Old Boys are setting the bar this season that they came off the pitch following Saturday’s 24-12 win at home to Crowthorne with a tinge of disappointment in the air.

College coughed up several good chances before eventually putting a bonus-point win to bed to extend their perfect start to the season with a fourth straight victory.

The Pipers Way outfit now have a three-point cushion at the summit in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier despite having played a game fewer than second-placed Hungerford, so Lloyd says his team should not be overly critical of themselves.

“It was not one of our better performances. We let slip some opportunities,” said Lloyd.

“We started really well and scored a try in the first few minutes and on the sidelines, you are thinking: ‘If it carries on like this, it’s going to be a really big score’.

“We were making break after break and sometimes when that happens, you get a bit of white-line fever, and that’s what we had.

“Even though we didn’t play as well as we can, we still came away with a bonus-point win, which was a bit remarkable.

“It was a bit flat afterwards and that just goes to show how well we have been playing; that we can be a bit disappointed even after a win.

“We shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves, though, as we showed good character to get over the line and continue our excellent start to the season.”

Greig O’Brien and Charlie Grabe both touched down in the first half for College, with Florin Palcau converting once, but those missed chances allowed Crowthorne to be level at half-time.

However, the hosts were much more streetwise in the second half and further touchdowns from Joe Smedley and Anthony Weston, as well as a Grabe conversion, saw College past the winning post.

“People were just snatching at their chances in the first half and fair play to Crowthorne; they came back at us after our good start and before we knew it, it was 7-7,” added Lloyd.

“The good thing was that we kept making the breaks, it was just the finishing that let us down.

“At half-time, it was 12-12, so it was nip and tuck but in the second half, we had control of the game and were able to see it home.”