SWINDON Town manager Phil Brown admits there was little he could criticise referee Charles Breakspear for despite two of his men being shown red cards during Tuesday night’s trip to Crawley.

Brown was left frustrated when two reckless tackles in midfield shortly after the half-time break turned the midweek fixture on its head.

Strikes from James Dunne and Keshi Anderson earned Swindon a two-goal lead in the first half, but Town faced an uphill struggle with only nine men on the pitch for the majority of the second half as both Toumani Diagouraga and Dunne were given their marching orders.

Despite Crawley’s persistent efforts, Harry Kewell’s side struggled to find the target for a second time after Ollie Palmer’s 51st-minute effort halved Town’s lead.

Ye to the heartache of Brown, experienced forward Marc Richards conceded a penalty in the closing seconds of the game – which Palmer comfortably converted.

Brown has previously had words to say about refereeing standards this season, but admitted he couldn’t defend his players’ actions – adding that both challenges merited a red card.

He said: “There are no arguments from me about the two red cards, or the players either. They (the players) were very sheepish and quiet (after the game).”

Both Diagouraga and Dunne will pick up a three-game suspension as a result of their actions.

The Town boss believes a lack of match fitness led to Diagouraga’s red card but was left frustrated by Dunne’s ill-discipline.

Tuesday marked Dunne’s return to league football after the midfielder had only completed his most recent ban on Saturday, following his red card against Accrington Stanley in the final game of last season.

“I’ve never seen Toumani (Diagouraga) get sent off in his career, but I thought his lack of match fitness stopped him from intercepting the first ball which was a bad touch by the opposition,” said Brown.

“He’s not a nasty player, but he mis-timed his challenge.

“James (Dunne’s) was a two-footed challenge with no control, that’s very frustrating.

“I absolutely battered him in pre-season, but maybe he hasn’t learnt his lesson. Having said that, he scored a goal and had a great chance to make it 2-0.

“There’s something to work with when it comes to Dunne, but he’s letting his teammates, myself and Swindon Town down.”

Brown’s efforts to draft in an international defender on loan were continuing today as he welcomed a fresh face to training.

The move would bolster Town’s options in the back four, which is currently short on manpower – something the manager has openly admitted himself.

He said: “You can judge me on my performance when the window closes – you’ll know what I’ve got in and what’s gone out.

“There are still nine months of the season to go after that, we’ll see where we finish.”