A CANCER riddled with complacency and acceptance for mediocracy has plagued Swindon Town for several seasons, and resulted in another failed campaign in the bottom tier of the Football League – according to manager Richie Wellens.

The 39-year-old watched his side extend their winless run to six games on Saturday, as Michael Duff’s Cheltenham Town coasted to a three-goal half-time lead at the Jonny Rocks Stadium.

Late goals for Theo Robinson and Marc Richards did little to rescue any pride for the 1,100 plus travelling supporters – half of whom had disappeared prior to the visitors’ redundant late challenge.

Defeat against Cheltenham confirmed Swindon will finish the season in the bottom half of the League Two table – their worst Football League finish in 35 seasons – and placed them as many points above lowly Morecambe as they trail the division’s top seven.

A calamitous defensive performance angered Wellens, who failed to get too carried away by performance levels – knowing he won’t be working with 80 per cent of players that were in the dressing room on Saturday.

He said: “You look at Cheltenham’s goals, they are three calamitous goals – how did we concede goals like that?

“It’s baffling. I’m not going to get too wound up, but the last 10 minutes of the game will not change my judgement, it will not change how I think of the players.

“Four or five years it’s been now, ever since this club has been on a bad run with a relegation inbetween – it’s not good enough.

“The club is riddled with a cancer, it is a cancer for acceptance of mediocracy and complacency.

“Next year, on the first day of pre-season, we will lay down the rules in terms of discipline and in terms of good people.

“It’s good people that stand you in good stead when you’re on a football pitch.

“We can all have ability, a lot of players have ability – that’s why they’re at a football club.

“But teams that win have certain values, discipline, attitude and desire.

“All of those words are easy for everyone to say, but not easy for everyone to do.

“I’m really disappointed.”

A rare off-day for central defender Luke Woolfenden epitomised Swindon’s sorry display at Cheltenham.

The Ipswich loanee nodded Cheltenham into a first-half lead with an embarrassing own goal – prompting Wellens to shuffle his pack at half-time.

Changes worked as Town won the second half 2-0. But those two goals did nothing to strip the sorry paint off of what has been a woeful campaign.

Wellens added: “I wanted to take Luke (Woolfenden) off at half time, but because every team has a height advantage over us I had to change things around and put (Olly) Lancashire on and move Luke to right-back.

“It was lethargic, but that’s the way the club has been in the last two years where teams have been built around loan players.

“As soon as the going gets tough, then loan players won’t respond in the right way unless you have those characters in the team.”