Despite a Charlie Austin goal in the 89th minute, Swindon fell to defeat against promotion pushing MK Dons.

Stephen Wearne scored two in the first eight minutes for the away side and they remained 2-0 up until late on, where Town captain Austin salvaged a goal back late on but Mike Williamson’s side saw out the rest of the game.

So, how did the players fare as individuals at the County Ground?

GK: Jack Bycroft – 4

It was a quiet game for Swindon’s number one as MK only had three shots during the game and he saved one of them – a shot from Dan Kemp right at him. Was also partly to blame for the first goal as Conor McCarthy asked him to come out and collect the ball but they weren’t on the same wavelength. Bicycle kick was also an interesting one.

RB: Udoka Godwin-Malife – 7

A performance UGM can be proud of as he was a threat for Town and his ability to pick up the ball from deep and drive forward to create space is very underrated. Got the assist for Austin’s goal too and produced some pinpoint crosses which do create more opportunities on another day.

CB: Conor McCarthy – 5

It’s been made clear that McCarthy is a centre-back too good for this level; today was not one of his standout games but he did some parts of his job well. Think he should have cleared the ball away for MK’s first when it was clear that Bycroft was not rushing out which would have prevented it entirely.

CB: Frazer Blake Tracy – 5

It was not a standout performance from the stand-in captain and was a quiet night for him. Not too much to note from the defender.

LB: Williams Kokolo – 5

The Frenchman didn’t see as much of the ball compared to Godwin-Malife and played an average performance. Just like Blake-Tracy, a quiet night.

CDM: George McEachran – 5

McEachran looks quite comfortable in his role as a deep-lying playmaker but in a game like this I thought it was inevitable it would be a struggle. MK Dons always seemed to have the ball for so long in midfield and made it look easy. It is very difficult going up against a midfield three of Jack Payne, Alex Gilbey and Kemp, however.

CDM: Saidou Khan – 4

Not the best game from Swindon’s number eight. McEachran was the better defensive midfielder on the night but like I stated earlier, it was always going to be a struggle in a game like this.

CAM: Sean McGurk – 6

A real prospect for Swindon fans to look forward to. Looked very promising and would have thrived in the second half, was creative with the ball and had a few half-chances of his own. Unfortunately had to come off at half time due to being on limited minutes following an injury before he signed for the Robins.

RM: Paul Glatzel – 6

Think Glatzel looked just above average against MK Dons and was promising. A decent performance down the right side but had a quieter second half which resulted to him being substituted. His quality is starting to become clearer but needs to add a few more things to his game before he can become a constant threat.

LM: Hepburn-Murphy – 4

A start for RHM after being on the bench against Gillingham but he was disappointing. There is a good player in there no doubt as we’ve seen earlier on in the season and is just going through a rough patch at the moment. Confident his form will return but it was a below-par performance and did not look as creative as Glatzel or McGurk.

ST – Aaron Drinan – 4

This game suited Austin better than it did Drinan but he looked more comfortable playing as a striker than down the right-hand side. Had a big opportunity with a header that he should have done better from.

Subs:

Charlie Austin – 6

Did good when he came on and would have added more to the game if he started. Scored a great header to give Swindon a lifeline late on and looked good overall. Has to start against Stockport.

Harry McKirdy – 5

Added some firepower on the left which is what we needed as the right side had been better all game. It is a shame he cannot play more minutes and he looked promising in spells but did not change the game entirely.

Zac Elbouzedi – 5

Great player to have in the squad with pace that will always cause trouble but don’t think he had enough time to put his stamp on the game.

Jake Cain – 5

Same as Elbouzedi, was not on for enough time to have an impact in the tie.