WHAT is it about Alex Revell? During his time at the County Ground in 2009, the 27-year-old found goals more elusive than the run of form Town have been chasing since the beginning of August.

But after swapping the Robins first for Wycombe Wanderers and then Leyton Orient, Revell has excelled against his former teammates.

And last night, as the Wiltshire side’s defence crumbled pathetically to their no-more-than-mediocre East London hosts, Revell extended his remarkable goalscoring streak against Town to four in as many games. Swindon slumped once again into the relegation zone.

But there is little point waxing lyrical for too long about a player who slipped out of Town’s grasp some time ago. Right now the current crop have to take a very long, very intensive look at what exactly needs to be done to resurrect a season seemingly destined in only one, dismal direction.

If Elliot Benyon’s late equaliser against Rochdale on Saturday was the equivalent to the feeble release of air from a broken balloon, Swindon’s first half capitulation at the hands of the O’s was the moment of utter deflation.

Spirits were briefly lifted pre-match by the acquisition of Jonathan Obika from Spurs on loan until the end of the season, but the absence of Benyon due to hamstring difficulty left Thomas Dossevi to hold together the offensive unit – a job which once again proved to be a stretch too far for the Togolese.

Town had looked the livelier in the opening exchanges, fizzing passes in midfield with an aggressive intent, but a sloppy and unnecessary piece of defending gifted the hosts their first sight of goal on 12 minutes - and they gleefully accepted.

Kevin Amankwaah, standing several inches taller than Scott McGleish, needlessly shoved the diminutive striker in the back 18 yards from goal, almost slap bang in the centre of the pitch.

Dean Cox stepped up and sidefooted a delicate effort, which took the slightest of deflections off the wall and crept past Phil Smith.

It was one of those goals that just cries out for discipline.

In the 20 minutes between Orient’s opener and Revell doubling their advantage, it was the visitors who slowly began to express themselves.

Marshalled by Jonathan Douglas in ‘worker ant mode’ and spearheaded by an effervescent Matt Ritchie, Swindon exploited the great chasms in between the home side’s midfield quarter and their back four.

Ritchie came within inches of levelling the match on 18 minutes, when he beat Orient keeper Jamie Jones with a savage daisy-cutter from distance but could only watch in despair as his strike bounced back into play off the upright.

Revell, however, continued to threaten at the other end, and he curled narrowly wide from the tip of the D before doubling the deficit facing Town just after the half-hour.

McGleish’s initial header from Charlie Daniels’ whipped cross was well saved by Smith, but as the keeper lay prostrate on the turf and Town players stood and stared in expectation of a whistle for a foul, Revell pounced to nod home.

That left the visitors beleaguered and in desperate need of a quick retort.

Instead they found themselves bedraggled and dumped out of the contest within 60 seconds.

Revell was at the heart of Orient’s third, slipping a neat centre into the feet of Stephen Dawson who waltzed round Aden Flint and Andrew Frampton like they were mannequins before aiming low to beat Smith.

Once again it was the most elementary of simple goals, and Town’s travelling band of supporters began to drift to the exits.

Rose’s 30-yard free-kick brought Jones out of his semi-slumber immediately before the break, but where there was once creativity and intricacy in Swindon’s attacking play last night there was an abject abandon in favour of speculation and heavy-handedness.

After the blitzkrieg of the first 45 minutes, the game relaxed somewhat after the break.

Paul Caddis’ fierce low drive following a mazy run just after the hour showed some intent, but by and large neither side could play around their opponents either in midfield or down the flanks.

Substitute Jonathan Tehoue should have done better than allow Flint to block his effort from 15 yards out with 20 minutes remaining and Douglas’ deft flick with the outside of his right boot was never likely to beat Jones at the other end.

And the night, from a Town point of view, was summed up when Frampton, alone and eight yards out, contrived to spoon the ball over the crossbar. Jason Crowe went even closer for the hosts, striking the bar in the dying stages.

For as much as, at times, Swindon had the edge over Orient in midfield, with Douglas and Michael Timlin producing an effective and efficient partnership, it never felt like it was going anywhere.

That has been a major factor within the car-crash season 2010/11 is turning out to be.

Safety is becoming ever more hazy on an ever more distant horizon.