SWINDON surrendered an opportunity to gain ground on the Championship’s top three at the weekend when drawing 3-3 with title challengers Taunton Vale, despite leading the game 3-0 with only 15 minutes played.

Lacklustre defending from the visitors gifted Swindon a way into the game as three early strikes appeared to have won the hosts the game before it had even started.

Taunton hit back with a marker of their own just before half-time to cushion their early blow and establish a reasonable foothold in the contest.

The second half of the contest saw Vale continue to press Swindon.

A pair of goals inside 10 minutes levelled the contest before Taunton searched for their fourth.

Hard work in defence by Swindon denied Vale what would’ve been a dramatic win as both teams settled for a point.

Swindon’s Championship campaign continues this weekend when making the 500 mile round trip to face second placed Truro.

Elsewhere, Swindon A’s poor start to their 2018/19 campaign continued as they crashed to a 7-1 loss at Bath Buccs D.

The result is A’s fifth straight league defeat of the season, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table with no points from their opening five games.

Swindon were dealt a nightmare scenario before the game when late unavailability and a car breakdown plagued the visitors’ morning.

Eventually fielding a full 10 men, Swindon were 5-0 behind at the end of the opening half with shots for the Wiltshire outfit at a premium.

Battling hard against a physical Bath side, Swindon conceded twice more in the second half – reducing them to a seven-goal loss.

Swindon B did experience better fortunes, though, as they defeated West Wiltshire 0-8 away from home.

B’s latest win ensures they remain unbeaten at the top of the East Central Two division with five wins out of a possible five.

A pair of hat-tricks plus two individual markers made for positive reading for Swindon.