STEVENAGE manager Darren Sarll conceded that his side’s slow start against Swindon Town was what ultimately cost them as they went down 3-2 at the County Ground.

The visitors found themselves 2-0 in arrears after just 13 minutes as Luke Norris prodded home from a corner to break the deadlock before teeing up Keshi Anderson to double the lead.

Although Stevenage rallied after the break and scored two goals themselves through Dan Newton and Joe Martin’s free-kick, a second Norris strike from the penalty spot sandwiched between those efforts proved to be the winner.

A disappointed Sarll admitted his side were always chasing the game after being caught in the blocks early on.

“Most of the damage was done in the first 15 minutes. The biggest positive to our first seven games has been the way we started games, always scoring the first goal,” said Sarll.

“There was always going to a situation where we would concede first and have to respond, but the way we started was no way near good enough.

“Even from the kick-off - I thought the kick-off was a shambles and it went from there.

“In the second half we managed to get ourselves back into it and have a stab at it which is the minimum really isn’t it - that you have a stab at winning the game - but it has been a very poor and disappointing day all round.”

Sarll sent Stevenage out with a different game plan against Town than they have used in the early weeks of the season and he was left perplexed at how they failed to follow it through as they should have.

“I wanted to come here and be a little bit more direct. I wanted to try and play it down to the sides and really try to stretch their two centre halves with our two centre forwards,” said Sarll.

“In the minimal times that we did that in the second half, we proved to be a great threat and got back into the game because of that threat.

“As a coach and as a manager, if the players go out and make mistakes because they have tried to implement what we wanted, no problem. I will stand here all day and front, shield and block them.

“It is very disappointing as a manager when you are instructing and that is not implemented as quickly as you would like.”