NATHAN Thompson admits that if he was a match-going supporter, he’d probably be sat in the stands vocalising his displeasure with Swindon Town’s struggles.

With derby defeat at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, Town have won just one of their last 10 games, that sole victory courtesy of a 2-1 triumph at Bolton Wanderers on January 14.

Skipper Thompson is all too aware of the disgruntlement felt by many a Swindon fan at present, as well as the importance of giving the County Ground something to cheer about when bitter rivals Oxford United visit next weekend.

“I’m a fan myself so I completely understand the frustration and if I was in the stand, I’d probably be giving us the same abuse,” said Thompson.

“I completely accept that and as captain, I’ll do everything in my power to turn those fortunes around.

“We all know how important the Oxford game is and if we can go and pick three points up, hopefully we can change that mood, even if it is only for that weekend.

“Tim (Sherwood) and the gaffer (Luke Williams) have both said that we need to forget.

“I know it’s hard to say because after such a fresh defeat, it’s difficult to put that behind us, but if we’re going to pick up three points next weekend, we need to forget about that performance very quickly.

“We need to work extremely hard and we’ve got a good group of lads, and on our day, we can beat any team in this league, so it’s important that we now really focus on that big derby game.”

Thompson was deeply frustrated with his side’s 1-0 loss to Rovers and is convinced that he and his teammates must conjure up more mental solidarity if they're to arrest their downward spiral towards the foot of League One.

The Town captain, who played in midfield at the Memorial Stadium, added: “I think it’s been the story of our season – we’ve been extremely inconsistent.

“For a long time, I feel we’ve allowed our heads to drop when we’ve gone behind in games.

“We thought that maybe Bolton was the one that turned that around. We haven’t been able to follow that up, and that’s so disappointing.”

“I said to the lads in the huddle before the game that, on paper, this is one of the most promising bunch of lads in the division.”

“You’ve got such creative players that can go and turn the game in a heartbeat and that’s what’s so frustrating and disappointing at this moment in time, that we’re not able to do that.

“It’s important that as captain, I try to lead by example. Whether that be at centre-back, right-back or in the centre of midfield, or even on the bench, I try to give the lads as much encouragement as possible.

“Hopefully, although we’re not having the rub of the green, I try to encourage and get us back up the table.”