Swindon Town manager Michael Flynn believes yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Morecambe was “two points dropped”, rather than one point gained in an entertaining League Two encounter at the Mazuma Stadium.
The Robins have had an excellent start to the season and are currently the league’s top goalscorers with 24 goals from their opening eight games. The went into yesterday’s clash in Lancashire on the back of successive wins and are one of only two sides – alongside Mansfield Town – yet to taste defeat in the division.
The visitors took an early lead through Dan Kemp but were pegged back just after the half hour mark when Jake Taylor levelled the score. The second half was a lively affair, starting with the dismissal of Morecambe defender Yann Songo’o, with Charlie Austin handing Swindon the lead from the resulting penalty.
Despite a man and a goal advantage, Flynn’s team conceded a second equaliser with 10 minutes remaining courtesy of Ethan Walker, and the hosts hung on to secure a point.
A win for Swindon would have seen them move up to second in the table, two points behind leaders Notts County with a game in hand. It was a fact not lost on the manager, who rued several missed chances following the game. In quotes supplied by Swindon Advertiser, Flynn said;
“It is two points dropped when you look back on it because we were in complete control, we had some unbelievable chances, and on another day we do score five again.
“But this is a difficult place to come, Morecambe are never going to give up, because Derek Adams’ teams are never going to do that.
“They kept fighting to the end and they will be happy with that point.
“Some of the football we played today was unbelievable. It was very exciting and fluent football and these players deserve a lot of credit for having the confidence and the mentality to keep playing like that.
“I have asked them to do that and you might get something like the clearance for the second goal, but that is fine and it is more about the game management.”
Continuing, Flynn conceded that both of Morecambe’s goals were avoidable;
“We just needed to kill the game off, it is one of them, everybody misses chances and I will never ever have a go at somebody for missing a chance.
“Everybody wants to score the goal and see the net move, so nobody does this on purpose and it is unfortunate.
“Today we have come away with a point because of that, but the two goals that we conceded will need some looking at.”
Swindon next host Grimsby Town next weekend, before a potential season-defining fixture against Notts County the following Tuesday.
Writer’s View
Swindon remain unbeaten, but they have every right to be a disappointed with the result. Although it is still early in the season, they will be looking at those teams above them and will know full well that this was an opportunity to move into the automatic promotion places.
They have a big couple of weeks coming up and Flynn will be keen to get back to winning ways against Grimsby next week. This would put the pressure on Notts County for their clash on Tuesday week, but this is a 46 game season. Whilst it may look like two points dropped today, it may prove to be a point gained come May.
