Ben Garner says Swindon lacked intensity in defeat at Crawley

Posted Sunday, March 20, 2022 by PA

Swindon boss Ben Garner felt his side paid dearly for a lack of intensity as the Robins suffered a 3-1 defeat at Crawley to drop to seventh in League Two.

A 50th-minute goal from Josh Davison cancelled out Kwesi Appiah’s first-half opener for Crawley, but late goals from Tom Nichols and substitute Isaac Hutchinson left Garner reflecting on a “missed opportunity” for his side.

He said: “We had more than enough in our squad to win the game.

“We started well but got complacent and thought the game was too easy.

“Unlike our previous performance against Sutton there were too many lapses and we didn’t play to the same level.”

Swindon have a two-week break now and Garner wants his side to come back with a stronger mentality.

He added: “We’ve got to dust ourselves down now and come back strongly. We must be more intense; it was a missed opportunity today.”

Swindon had won six of their previous eight games and their 1,000 travelling fans were silenced as Crawley produced their first win in six outings.

Head coach John Yems hailed a “very hard-working team performance” as the Reds won for only the third time in the last 14 home league games.

He said: “It is a compliment to all the lads and it shows the togetherness we have.

“On their day (Swindon) are a better footballing side than us but you have to play to your strengths. We couldn’t turn it into a possession game.

“We looked a bit jaded from Tuesday evening (a 2-1 defeat at Exeter) but this win is what you get for sticking together.”

Crawley are heading for a third successive mid-table finish under Yems, but the head coach is not happy at just being safe and has pledged to “have a go no matter who we face” in the remaining nine games.

He added: “We’ve got to give fans something to cheer about. We want them to stick together and support the team.”