MATT Taylor was left perplexed by the lacklustre nature of Swindon Town’s performance after his first game in interim charge of the side ended in a 3-0 defeat at home to Cheltenham Town today.

The defeat brings to an end Town’s fine five-match winning run at the Energy Check County Ground and also drops them out of the League Two play-off places, falling to ninth in the table.

Experienced defender Taylor has been handed the reins at Town following the resignation of former boss David Flitcroft earlier this month and was encouraged by what he saw from his team early on, only for them to fall apart after Jake Andrews broke the deadlock four minutes before the break with a fine free-kick.

Swindon failed to raise their game in the second half and Mohamed Eisa needed just five minutes to double the visitors’ lead before sealing Swindon’s fate with his second goal late on.

“We started the game well and then it just seemed as if we went off-piste and started to try to do things individually,” said Taylor.

“When you do that, you are never going to be successful. We had a game plan and for the first 15 to 20 minutes it was going well and it all went to pot, unfortunately.

“I can accept when people make mistakes but we didn’t retain the ball well enough either. That was a strange thing for us. At times we looked as if we panicked on the ball.

“It is just one of those things and the crazy thing is that in the week leading up to it, I felt the boys had trained well really well and had applied themselves as well as they could do.

“We had a good training week. I thought all the information was taken on board correctly but for some reason, we just gave away avoidable goals but that is football for you.”

Taylor admits he had to hold some frank conversations with his team-mates after the full-time whistle and now hopes the team can rally themselves for a strong finish to the season, with Town still only outside the top seven on goal difference with 10 games to go.

“The dressing room is very disappointed and down. We have had an honest conversation and we move on,” said Taylor.

“As disappointing as it is, I have said I will only deal in facts and that is what we have had the conversation about.

“It is important that now, moving forward, everyone sticks together – there are still 30 points to play for this season.

“We will digest it, we will take our medicine, so to speak, but I am just disappointed in the way at times in the game, we maybe lacked a little bit of desire.

“Personally, I don’t really understand it but I will watch the game and try to digest it.”