SWINDON Town head coach Scott Lindsey said the manner of his side’s defeat to Harrogate Town on Saturday made it feel “like the end of the world.”

Swindon’s 2022-23 League Two campaign got off to the worst possible start as Simon Weaver’s men emerged with a 3-0 success at the Envirovent Stadium in a game where Ben Gladwin also missed a penalty for the visitors.

Alex Pattison, Matty Daly, and Jack Muldoon netted on opening day as Swindon dropped to 23rd and also saw an eight-season winning run in the first game of the season end abruptly.

Dissecting a difficult afternoon immediately following the full-time whistle, Lindsey said: “It feels like the end of the word – obviously, it’s not. I’m very, very disappointed.

“I think we set off really well, we created chances in the first half. There were moments in the game where we were really good, but we defended poorly, and we turned the ball over in the middle of the park too many times.

“We tried making passes through the middle of the pitch. For the second goal, we tried making a 40-yard pass along the floor through the middle of the pitch when it’s not on to do. We’ve got to learn from that.”

A goal down at the break, Swindon came out fighting but went further behind courtesy of a wonderful strike from Daly in the 51st minute.

The point at which the game fully slipped away from the Wiltshire outfit was Gladwin’s missed penalty with 20 minutes to play, but Lindsey was adamant his players did not give up in the latter stages.

He said: “I thought once we got through the initial press, we carried on going at the top of the pitch.

“I don’t think we gave up, I think we carried on. I think it’s a different game if Ben Gladwin sticks the penalty away, I think we’re still in the game.

“Overall, it’s a bad day at the office. Is the season going to be decided based on today? No, but we have to do better.”