GORDON Greer suffered the agony of missing the crucial penalty which sent Swindon Town out of the Carling Cup last night.

After Danny Wilson’s men had gone so close to upsetting the Premier League new boys in both normal and extra time, penalties were needed to separate the sides.

With no misses after 10 spot kicks, Neil Collins’ converted effort left Greer needing to score to keep Town in the competition.

And Greer struck it well, beating Hahnemann but his effort cannoned back off the post leaving Town’s cup dreams in tatters.

Mick McCarthy’s sides are notoriously direct and Wolves created their first chance on four minutes through that exact style.

Keeper Hahnemann’s long punt forward was flicked on by Sam Vokes for Kevin Doyle on the edge of the area.

The Irish international tricked his way free of a couple of challenges before driving a low strike across goal which was just the wrong side of the upright.

Home debutant Nathaniel Mendez-Laing had already served a dangerous notice to the Town defence with a mazy run when he embarked on another dribble in the 16th minute.

This time, however, it ended with a rising shot destined for the top corner until the intervention of David Lucas’ fingertips.

Wolves were dominating and Collins stung the palms of Lucas with a 20-yard drive, while at the other end in a rare Swindon attack, Tope Obadeyi’s volley was well off target.

Ten minutes before the break, Mendez-Laing was again at the centre of things for the Premier League side.

The youngster latched on to a loose ball before wriggling free just inside the area, but his weak shot failed to test Lucas.

Town almost took a shock lead on 36 minutes through a superb individual effort from Anthony McNamee.

Receiving the ball on the left hand side of the box, the winger turned back onto his weaker foot before curling a strike which beat Hahnemann but not the crossbar.

Right on the stroke of half-time the visitors thought they had broken through but Billy Paynter’s close-range prod, after the ball had rebounded off the post following a storming run from Obadeyi, was ruled out by the linesman.

Chances were few and far between after the break, although Town started brighter with Obadeyi causing problems, and the loanee’s rising shot showed their early intent.

Collins should have final broken through for the hosts when he met Andrew Surman’s corner unmarked but somehow sent a bullet header over from just a couple of yards.

Swindon’s best moment of a disjointed second period stemmed from a harmless-looking free-kick wide on the right channel.

Jon-Paul McGovern and Paynter worked the set piece short, and although the latter's cross was over hit, it found its way through to substitute Mark Marshall, with the wide man striking the foot of the post from the tightest of angles.

Wolves could – and probably should – have sealed their progression to the third round in the dying minutes as Andy Keogh raced on to a long ball over the top.

But, having reached it ahead of the onrushing Lucas, he could only watch on in agony as his lobbed effort dropped just over the crossbar.

As the game moved into extra-time Wolves stepped up the gears and Lucas was called into action to deny David Edwards and Keogh.

Marshall sent a far post header wide as Swindon stubbornly refused to be knocked down and out by their Premier League opponents.

Lucas smothered at the feet of Collins when a corner caused chaos in the visitors’ box, and repeated the feat to halt a midfield charge from Edwards.

But with 120 minutes unable to separate the sides it was left to a penalty shoot-out to determine who would take their place in the third round.

Wolves were first up from the spot, with Surman sending Lucas the wrong way to roll the ball home, while Callum Kennedy picked exactly the same spot for Town with an identical result.

David Jones made no mistake with a thumping effort before Marshall placed his strike high into the top corner.

Edwards just beat the grasp of Lucas for the hosts, which was matched by Easton as the first few penalties still failed to prise the teams apart.

Keogh and Macklin both found the back of the net, as did Vokes for Wolves, and the pressure was on keeper Lucas who hammered home Town’s fifth.

And so it was sudden death. Collins drove into the roof of the net before captain Greer stuck his kick against the right-hand upright to send Swindon out.