Richie Wellens sets Swindon seven more wins to reach League Two play-offs

Posted Sunday, March 10, 2019 by PA

Swindon manager Richie Wellens has set his side a target of seven wins from their last 11 games of the season if they are to make the League Two play-offs.

The Robins’ recent run of form – including a four-game unbeaten run and five away games without defeat – ground to a halt with a 2-1 defeat to a Carlisle side getting their own play-off hopes back on track after a five-game winless sequence.

Carlisle took the lead after 13 minutes as Jamie Devitt’s pass found Hallam Hope in the box. He almost lost the ball, but managed to turn and hit a deflected low shot which left goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux wrong footed.

Hope’s 12th goal of the season kept Carlisle’s noses in front until a foul by Gary Liddle on Keshi Anderson gave Kyle Bennett the chance to curl the resulting free-kick over the defensive wall.

Swindon failed to capitalise on their possession after the break and Callum O’Hare banged in an 80th-minute winner for Carlisle after Nathan Thomas’s effort had been blocked.

Wellens said: “We have 11 games left and need to win seven.

“It’s important we don’t go bang, bang and lose two or three because the feelgood factor is coming back to the club.

“We should have had a penalty right at the end for handball, but you get these days and they are frustrating.”

The Swindon manager blamed defensive errors for the goals by Hope and on-loan Aston Villa midfield man O’Hare.

He saw his side dominate for a good spell after half-time without being able to provide the final pass.

He added: “It was a good team performance, but we made mistakes for the goals.

“That’s one we should have won. We definitely should never had got beaten.

“We still have the opportunity to do something this season and we must concentrate on what is coming up in the next few days.

“We looked bright and created chances, but then we started turning the ball over too much. I can’t fault the effort or the quality, but we should be scoring more goals.”

Carlisle manager Steven Pressley hailed match-winner O’Hare saying the youngster “has been a shining light for us”.

He added: “Callum has been desperate to score and has adapted to our play really well.”

Pressley hailed “a massive result”, saying: “It was important to win the game and we played patient football against a really good side.

“It got a bit nervous, but you can expect that given the wee blip we’ve had.”

Pressley’s decision to bring on substitute Kelvin Etuhu paid dividends in midfield, and he added: “He got us on the front foot and changed the flow of the game.

“We’ve had some good performances and not been winning. This wasn’t our best, but we won. We took a big step forward today and showed determination.”