SWINDON Town’s winless run extended into an eighth game following a particularly dour 1-0 defeat away at Tranmere Rovers on Easter Monday.

Harvey Saunders scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half as Rovers picked up their first win in seven League Two outings.

Town offered very little in the way of attacking threat – despite seeing two thirds of possession – and dropped to 12th, below victorious Tranmere who also struggled to create meaningful chances on home soil.

Swindon’s next League Two fixture arrives on Saturday as the Robins welcome play-off chasing Barrow to the County Ground.

The significant team news ahead of kick-off was the omission of Charlie Austin from the match-day 18 – one of three changes made by head coach Jody Morris.

Leading assistant, Remeao Hutton dropped to the bench – as did Ronan Darcy. Jonny Williams, Marcel Lavinier, and Tyrese Shade all came in to the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Tranmere started former Swindon defender Jordan Turnbull - who was sent off late on in the reverse fixture - and Josh Hawkes, who scored in the 1-1 draw at the County Ground.

It was a particularly dull start to proceedings with almost nothing to excite either set of fans inside the opening 15 minutes.

The first shot in anger arrived 18 minutes into the game – Shade curled harmlessly over from around 30 yards after Rushian Hepburn-Murphy was fouled.

Moments later, Frazer Blake-Tracy saw a volley deflect narrowly wide from a George McEachran corner.

But it was Tranmere who opened the scoring midway through the first 45. Tom Brewitt was caught dilly-dallying on the ball deep inside his own half and Tranmere recovered it. Josh Hawkes was fed down the left, and he beat Lavinier too easily down the line before crossing into the middle for Saunders to poke home from close range.

Swindon almost equalised shortly after when Lavinier whipped in a dangerous cross, but Williams was unable to direct the effort on target from eight yards out with his head.

The final two opportunities of note both also fell the visitors’ way. First, Williams’ cross found Joe Tomlinson at the back post, but his volleyed contact was not sufficient to test Mateusz Hewelt – who grabbed the ball gratefully above his head.

Lastly, Hepburn-Murphy rifled a long-range strike at goal after rolling his man, but the effort from around 25 yards out was unconvincingly beaten away by the Tranmere stopper.

It was the visitors who also posed a threat first after the break- too. Referee Andrew Kitchen waved play on after Jacob Wakeling had been fouled in the centre, and Williams picked up possession before lashing a dipping shot at goal. Hewelt was at full stretch to tip it away, and Shade rifled off target from an extremely tight angle.

Rovers were causing Town very few problems until a couple of good chances midway through the second half. First, Kane Hemmings shrugged off Tomlinson down the right and broke into the box, but curled his shot well wide of goal.

Next – in the better of the two opportunities – Tom Davies wriggled out of defence past several green shirts before laying off to substitute Jay Turner-Cooke.

He slipped a delightful through ball ahead of Hawkes, but the Tranmere scorer in the reverse fixture scuffed his left-footed effort wide of Brynn's goal.

With 15 minutes to play, Swindon’s luck of late was summed up in a chance which failed to result in an equaliser. Substitute Hutton burrowed his way past Ethan Bristow before whipping a low cross towards Williams about six yards out.

Despite the Welshman throwing his left leg at it, the ball ended up trapped under a pile of bodies and Town couldn't bundle it home before Hewelt jumped on it.

Hemmings tested Brynn down low with a shot on the turn inside the final five minutes, but despite slightly raising urgency levels in the closing stages, Swindon could not generate a late chance to snatch an equaliser.

TRFC starting XI: Hewelt, Dacres-Cogley, Davies, Turnbull, Bristow, O'Connor, Hendry, Hawkes, Chalmers, Hemmings (c), Saunders.

TRFC substitutes: Hughes, Hoti, Turner-Cooke, Taylor, Mumbongo, Burton.

STFC starting XI: Brynn, McEachran, Tomlinson, Williams, Brewitt, Hepburn-Murphy, Blake-Tracy (c), Lavinier, Khan, Wakeling, Shade.

STFC substitutes: Brann, Hutton, Clayton, Darcy, Jephcott, Cain, Kadji.

Referee: Andrew Kitchen

Attendance: 5,654