Swindon Town joint-bottom of the EFL after Morecambe loss

Swindon were again punished for their inability to defend set pieces as Jamie Stott and Ben Tollitt capitalised before Aaron Drinan netted within seconds of being introduced.

Ryan Delaney levelled four minutes into the second half but The Shrimps came on strong and Hallam Hope gave them a massive away victory.

Defeat against the side sat 24th in League Two means Town are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Any Swindon revels may be at their end.

Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows and Ian Holloway again looked to mix up his line-up in search of a first league win of his reign.

Grant Hall came straight back into the middle of the back three following his suspension, as Gavin Kilkenny, George Cox, and Kabongo Tshimanga also returned to the side.

After a week dominated by headlines around ghosts, a lunchtime victory for Colchester United meant that the spectre of relegation to Non-League became even more apparent, lingering over the heads of Morecambe and Swindon.

Swindon hoped the clouds would open and show riches but the wind and the rain howled around The Nigel Eady County Ground, Swindon were flipped to play into the wind and attack the Town End in the first half.

The conditions were certainly dictating the play as both teams looked to get the ball forward as quickly as possible and there were a few miscued efforts creating some comedic-looking moments.

Within five minutes, Swindon were put in a position they didn’t want to be as The Shrimps had four corners after five minutes.

That was always going to spell trouble as a short corner was played to Luke Hendrie, he whipped in a cross for the unmarked Stott and it was an all-too-easy lead for Morecambe.

The referee was playing the heel in the early stages and he gave Morecambe a soft free-kick ten yards inside the Swindon half after 14 minutes. Adam Lewis clipped it to the far post and it was played low for Tollitt to slam home.

Set piece defending had become not an Achilles Heel so much as a Death Star exhaust port blowing the whole plan up for Swindon as they let in their sixth goal from a dead ball in three games.

The two goals and everything else contributed to a Swindon display that was like a damp rag flailing listlessly in the wind. They couldn’t play long, they couldn’t play through, they couldn’t do much of anything.

Poor defending to give up a chance for Jordan Slew after 32 minutes was the final straw for Holloway and he knew he had to change something as Joel McGregor was swapped for Drinan.

Removing McGregor was met with its traditional derision but that didn’t even have time to die down before Harry Smith headed a free-kick into the path of the Irishman to turn home his first goal of the campaign.

It was jeers to adulation as all of a sudden Swindon found their sea legs. Drinan was a man possessed, handling the conditions like Aang, running in behind and crosses from Will Wright and George Cox were worthy of more than they got in the middle.

The hope for Swindon was that having the wind in their favour in the second half could give them the same boost it provided for Morecambe.

After four minutes, this was more than just hope. Cox’s long throw dropped in the middle with nobody able to get a hold of it until Delaney managed to get a foot on it, turn, and drive beyond Harry Burgoyne.

Swindon failed to push home the advantage after levelling and Morecambe eventually began to find their feet in the wind. Harvey Macadam was having particular joy running from midfield and came close a few times to snatching the lead back.

Morecambe kept threatening on the counter as Lewis skipped away down the side and Delaney had to step in and make a big block. Then Macadam again raced away down the side and Cox had to be in the right position to prevent Jordan Slew from having a tap-in.

The rain eased as the final 15 minutes drew in but Swindon were still stuck in the mud, failing to get much going and test Burgoyne.

The Morecambe counters were always going to tell and finally, they did when Hendrie clipped a ball into Hope running beyond to fire beyond Bycroft.

O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer. As the tempest blew around SN1, Swindon watched on bereft as Morecambe washed up on their shores and put them level on points with the bottom of the EFL.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Delaney, Wright, Ofoborh, Smith, Kilkenny, Tshimanga, Butterworth, Hall, Cox, McGregor.

STFC substitutes: Barden, Cotterill, Glatzel, McGurk, Drinan, Minturn, Brown.

MFC starting XI: Burgoyne, Hendrie, A. Lewis, White, Stott, Slew, Williams, Tolitt, Dackers, Tutonda, Jones.

MFC substitutes: Taylor, Macadam, Hope, Ray, P. Lewis, Millen, Songo’o.

Attendance: 6,494 (105 away).