Swindon found themselves 2-0 down within eight minutes due to a Stephen Wearne double and Gavin Gunning revealed that ‘the whole game plan went out the window’ following MK Dons’ early goals.

Despite a late goal from captain Charlie Austin, Town went on to lose the game as MK held out for a 2-1 win.

Gunning said: “I think we’ve shot ourselves in the foot again in the first half and it was an uphill battle straight away.

“But to win the second half is not what I care about and what’s good.

“We’ve got to learn from our mistakes or the team doesn’t improve ever and you’re not going to evolve as a team.

“I think after eight minutes the whole game plan went out the window which is the worst part of it.”

The Irishman then discussed the two goals that came within the first ten minutes of the game, one of which contained misjudgment from Conor McCarthy and Jack Bycroft alongside Wearne’s second.

“That first goal today, there’s nothing you can do. It is what it is, the keeper should come and the centre-half should clear.

“It’s unfortunate and they get kind of caught in between and then you can see the horrific goal.

“The second one is a lapse in concentration at the back-stick. We switched off, watched the ball and they score, that’s the most frustrating part.”

The Robins’ head coach did state that it was always going to be difficult after going 2-0 down early on against MK Dons.

“It was one of them where against a possession-based team you’re always going to struggle when you go 2-0 down.

“I think we had a lot of half chances that we didn’t quite manufacture the right decision to just slide the pass in, play it back and get a shot off.

“The performance just wasn’t great to be fair.”

Gunning then discussed the later period of the game after a goal from Austin.

“Yeah, we changed it about, we’re obviously gonna try and win the game. I think there was two minutes left and we sent the goalkeeper up who’s tried a scissor kick from about 40 yards out which was a bit mad but they were panicking at the end.

“We’re at home and you’re always going to have that when you score.”

Sean McGurk looked creative in the first half on his home debut for Swindon but was substituted off at the break, but this was due to him being ‘laggy’.

“Sean McGurk was laggy, I think that was my fault. He’s been a little bit ill as well but he said he was okay.

“But he just looked very laggy in the first half and I didn’t realise how much the other night would have taken out of him so yeah, it’s probably a mistake on my behalf.”