DAVID Flitcroft rued Swindon Town’s lack of game management as they conceded late on at Wycombe Wanderers to cede potentially crucial ground in the League Two promotion race tonight.

Adebayo Akinfenwa headed home the winner for Wanderers as the clock ticked around to 90 minutes as the Chairboys snatched a 3-2 win after Town had hauled themselves back into the contest in the second half.

Marc Richards had given Town the ideal start less than two minutes in when he poked home after a Matt Taylor header had been saved but the visitors then shipped two goals in quick succession by the 10-minute mark as Luke O’Nien and Craig Mackail-Smith turned it around.

Taylor blasted home a magnificent free-kick from all of 40 yards just past the hour mark to restore parity but Town noticeably tailed off in the final quarter and Akinfenwa nodded in the winner as goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook failed to get to a deep cross, having earlier been denied a goal by a foul.

Flitcroft reckoned his side had the momentum in their favour after Taylor’s world-class strike, but they failed to capitalise as they slipped to sixth in the League Two table, now five points off the automatic promotion spots.

“It’s horrible. I just spoke to the players then and football is about momentum,” said Flitcroft.

“When you are part of a game when you are 2-1 down and Matty Taylor steps up and scores an absolute outstanding goal that you don’t really see at League Two or League One (level) - it’s Championship or Premier League you see that type of goal - it’s the energy that you should thrive off.

“Our away fans were just unbelievable tonight. The noise they made behind the goal to draw us in and feel that energy and I’ve said to the players that under no circumstances at that point, with the energy pattern, that you concede.

“Respect the point. It’s a hard-earned point and respect it and we didn’t.

“We gave them opportunities to throw the ball in the box and we’ve conceded a late goal.”

Taylor’s wonder strike had most of Adams Park gasping in admiration and Flitcroft added: “You don’t get a better opportunity to come back into a game with a goal like that.

“That should give us the energy and the adrenaline pump. It lifted everyone and Matty Taylor didn’t deserve to be on the losing team tonight and we’ve got no points from tonight’s work.

“I’ve not seen Akinfenwa’s goal but it looked as though maybe there weren’t enough bodies around him and it’s one I’ll have to have a look at, to be honest, because it’s a key moment for me.

“We should certainly understand what is worth fighting for and we had something worth fighting for tonight after getting back into the game.

“To score goals here and not get anything from the game is incredibly disappointing. We should have got something from the game.”