SWINDON Town head coach Scott Lindsey called his team “slow and ponderous” after a 1-0 defeat against Colchester United on New Year’s Day.

Town made much of the early running at the JobServe Community Stadium but could not find a way past Kieran O’Hara in the U’s goal.

The visitors then paid the price for their lack of cutting edge as Luke Hannant flicked in a near-post corner to net the only goal of the game after half an hour.

MATCH REPORT: Town slump to New-Year's-Day defeat to Colchester.

Swindon’s expected goals for the day was barely over 0.5, suggesting they created very few clear-cut chances throughout.

Other than Jacob Wakeling’s second-half header, Town struggled to test United’s man of the match and deservedly left Essex empty-handed.

Breaking down the performance he had witnessed, Lindsey felt a loose first 20 minutes set the tone for a disappointing afternoon.

He said: “I actually thought we were poor in possession. I thought we were slow and ponderous, especially in the opening encounters of the game.

“I just felt that there were spaces for us to step in and play with a real aggression. And then they get their goal, and it becomes a hard afternoon.

“There were times when we could have moved the ball quicker, especially once we got through the initial press and in the final third.

“I believe that, had we played with that aggression in the first 20 minutes and created more chances and maybe got a goal, I think it would have been a better afternoon for us, obviously.”

Failure to pick up three points against one of the division’s strugglers marked yet another wasted opportunity to claim consecutive victories this season.

Town have only managed the feat once in all competitions since Lindsey took over, and the inconsistent stick is one the team is often beaten with by detractors.

The Swindon boss said he will not become frustrated by his team’s lack of experience though – potentially a factor in their tumultuous form – and vowed to keep helping the young players improve.

Lindsey said: “I’ve also got to accept that they’re a very young squad, so I can’t lose patience with them – that’s the last thing I need to do. I just need to keep working hard with the players and improving them all the time.

“They’re a very young squad, they’ve been put together this season with a sprinkling of experience, and we’ve got a couple of players who are still here from last season.

“It’s a new squad. I can’t be frustrated by that. I’ve just got to keep working hard with them – that’s all I can do.”