PHIL Brown refuses to seek solace in statistics as he searches for the cutting edge that will take Swindon Town from mid-table obscurity to a genuine promotion challenge.

Town headed the possession stats 56 to 44 per cent during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Exeter City and matched the hosts’ tally of nine shots while also forcing nine corners.

Significantly though, only one of those goal attempts was on target - Exeter scoring with two of their four - while Brown believes the Grecians’ canny approach put an undeservedly positive sheen on Town’s own efforts.

The County Ground boss highlighted Exeter’s performance and changing strategy as an example of what can be achieved on the league’s bottom rung, pulling few punches as to the standard of his side’s own attacking output.

“We passed the ball better, but when teams allow you to pass the ball around the edge of your own penalty area, that’s intelligent play from them when they’re 2-0 up,’’ said Brown.

“When we’re passing around because we think that’s the right way to play because England do that, it’s absolute rubbish.

“You’ve got three centre-halves there against two strikers and we couldn’t get it past those two strikers and kept playing it back to a goalkeeper (Luke McCormick) who was hurried and under pressure from the start because of the fans.

“But we carried on doing it. Exeter probably aren’t passing the ball as well as they did last year and yet they are top of the league.

“They get the ball into the right areas and then they produce. Our end product was nothing short of abysmal.’’

He added: “They (Exeter) have changed their DNA.

“They are not a young side any more, they are are an experienced team and they’ve invested wisely and heavily. They are at the right end of the division because of that.

“But for my players to not step up to the plate the way we did on Tuesday is unacceptable behaviour.’’

Veteran striker Marc Richards had two gilt-edged chance to find the net in the first half at St James Park, but Town otherwise landed few punches and Brown was dismayed by his side’s toothless approach.

“You expect chances to come your way in any game of football and one or two of them did to the right person in Rico but he didn’t put it away,’’ added the manager.

“A sharp Rico or confident Rico and then all of a sudden you have got a foothold in the game.

“I didn’t for one moment think we had a foothold in the game.

“They (Exeter) stayed behind the ball, didn’t pressure us and let us have it in certain areas.

“As soon as we came into their final third, there were men in your face and that’s good play.

“With the wind in the first half, we must have had seven or eight chances to pull the trigger.

“Sometimes you buy a ticket and you win the raffle.

“It could be confidence, I don’t know. It could be me, but I’m not on the ball.’’