Yeovil Town's disappointing away run continued this afternoon when they slipped to a 3-1 defeat at a freezing County Ground to hosts Swindon.

First half goals from prolific front pair Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin, both dubious efforts, saw the Robins two up before Gavin Tomlin pulled a goal back on 26 minutes with an audacious cross shot that dipped under the crossbar.

However a goal thirteen seconds into the second half from substitute Danny Ward killed the game off as the Glovers were reduced to long shots and half chances until the final whistle.

Yeovil were forced into two changes. Alex McCarthy pulled out with a bug and was replaced by Richard Martin while Dean Bowditch was replaced by Jonathan Obika. The bench had an unfamiliar look with Ben Roberts and youth teamer Sam Lechmere both included in the eighteen.

The away side actually started the brighter and Sam Williams saw his early effort blocked for a corner. The big striker then saw his header cleared off the line from the ensuing corner.

Paynter then missed a gilt-edged chance at the other end when he headed wide from Alan O'Brien's cross on nine minutes.

On thirteen minutes, the striker made amends when he headed home a cross from the right wing. The Glovers can feel aggrieved as Paynter looked a yard offside and his glance back at the assistant referee said everything.

T

he Glovers responded well and two successive corners plus another Williams header were products of the pressure.

Just after the twenty minute mark came the second suspect goal. Left back Nathan Smith was barged off the ball right in front of the assistant referee. No foul was given , the cross came over and Austin had time and space to finish the chance off.

The reply came within five minutes. Keiran Murtagh knocked the ball out wide right to Tomlin whose opportunist effort sailed over the keeper and into the net to send the 638 travelling Glovers into ecstasy.

The former Fisher frontman had two half chances to grab a second but saw both efforts blocked.

Ryan Mason tried an acrobatic bicycle kick from Smith's low cross but it landed harmlessly wide. The Spurs loanee saw a free kick held comfortably by keeper David Lucas.

If manager Terry Skiverton held hope of getting back into the game early in the second half, he had a rude shock coming. Straight from the kick off, Swindon pressed forward and Danny Ward, on for the injured O'Brien on 35 minutes, capitalised on a defensive error to rifle home the third and decisive goal.

The game slipped into a pattern of alternate missed chances with Austin and Ward's shot blocked for the home side while Murtagh and Obika both saw half chances fail to trouble the keeper.

As time wore on, the Glovers looked to drag themselves back into the game forcing three corners inside ninety seconds, all of which couldn't produce anything like a chance.

Scott Murray, on for Jean-Paul Kalala at half time, headed a chance wide with fourteen minutes left.

Terrell Forbes came on for Stefan Stam and found himself in bother with the referee almost immediately when he went through the back of Simon Ferry and the Swindon midfielder was pulled down by Mason, the youngster also seeing yellow.

Murray and Mason also had efforts in the last few minutes but it really didn't seem like Yeovil looked likely to score.

Manager Skiverton was brutally honest in his press conference afterwards claiming that not enough players put in a shift for the team, a difference from the previous few games.