SWINDON Town U18s boss Alan McLoughlin labelled his team’s performance during their 1-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers at the weekend as the ‘worst’ in his 18 months in the role.

Following their narrow 1-0 win over Northampton Town in the FA Youth Cup last Tuesday at the Energy Check County Ground, McLoughlin gave his players three days rest to recuperate.

However, following their performance on Saturday morning at Stanley Park, the 50-year-old was left questioning the attitude of his youngsters.

“I was very disappointed with the performance against Bristol Rovers after a fantastic performance against Northampton,” he said.

“The same application wasn’t forthcoming in that game at the weekend.

“I think Bristol deserved to win and I would’ve been happy with a point, which is the first time I have felt like that this season.

“Collectively, apart from Louis Spalding, who played well, no-one else reached the standards I expect of them and it was more mental.

“We paid the price and it was certainly the worst performance I’ve had in my 18 months in charge in terms of effort and commitment.”

On Tuesday the club’s youth side were back in action once again as they entertained Luton Town in the Youth Alliance Cup.

While they suffered a second successive 1-0 defeat in a row, McLoughlin was much happier with the display from his troops.

“It was another loss, we had some issues with injuries, Jordan Edwards and Luke Haines both picked up injuries in the Northampton game,” he said. “In the first half Luton were the better team and in the second half we were the better team.

“In terms of application and effort, it was more like what we require.

“I don’t mind losing as long as we lose in the right manner.