SWINDON Town fell at the first hurdle for a fifth time in succession tonight, losing 3-0 to Colchester United.

United struck three late second half goals to book their spot in the second round of the Carabao Cup, and an away trip to Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Tom Eastman, Courtney Senior and Brandon Comley were on target for the hosts, while Town boss Richie Wellens was frustrated by a catalogue of squandered chances that fell to Kaiyne Woolery, Scott Twine, Keshi Anderson and Jordan Lyden.

Not as bad as the result, Town were handed another blow as star striker Jerry Yates was shown a straight red card for an incident involving United’s Cohen Bramall – who was also sent off.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and that’s what Wellens was left to reflect on after enduring an evening of missed opportunities.

He said: “Three-nil is harsh, it was a bit like last season.

“The first half was total domination and we didn’t put any of our chances away – their ‘keeper (Dean Gerken) was named man of the match.

“We conceded three goals, and I don’t remember Colchester testing Luke McCormick.

“It’s a disappointing night, the biggest disappointment being Yates’ sending off.

“We’ve got two important league games coming up in four days – and the league will now be our main focus.

“It was my main focus before tonight, but I’m not going to let the result impact us.”

While denying making excuses, Town’s 39-year-old boss pointed the finger at referee Charles Breakspear for a making a series of poor decisions – in Wellens’ opinion.

Breakspear’s decision to award a corner for United’s opener was judged to be wrong by Wellens, while he also disagreed with the decision to send off both Bramall and Yates.

Wellens added: “The biggest disappointment is Yates’ sending off, and again I’m looking at the referee.

“The first goal was not a corner, it was a goal kick and they scored from the corner.

“I should’ve rested a few more – the likes of Jerry Yates. At the moment, we haven’t got a replacement for him.

“Hopefully we can get a replacement for him in during the next few days. We definitely need a couple more bodies in, and this might shift our progress a bit quicker.”