Ian Holloway has said that his Swindon Town side deserved to be beat as they fell to a surprise loss to League Two strugglers Shrewsbury Town.
The Robins were well of the pace as they headed north to Shropshire, with their hosts running away with the game in the second half, giving Gavin Cowan’s side a vital three points in their quest to avoid the drop.
Holloway Laments Performance
Speaking to the media following the defeat at the New Meadow, Swindon boss Ian Holloway was frank about his side’s performance on the day. (Quotes via Swindon Advertiser):
“It was disappointing from my lot, and a lot of their team played at eight or nine out of ten for their level, and I don’t think mine did today. That is how it is.
“What annoyed me the most was that, at the end there, they could have scored two more on a break.
“We talked about the numbers of three on the front line and five in the middle for when it dropped, but we didn’t pin them in. If anybody looked like scoring, it was them.
“They were the better team, you wouldn’t have known who was towards the top and who was towards the bottom.
“It could have been four, it could have been five, because we got a lot of things wrong in the end, but it was a lot closer than that.”
Happy Valentine’s Day, Salopians! 😘💙 pic.twitter.com/ZoXXa2Bx9D
— Shrewsbury Town FC (@shrewsburytown) February 14, 2026
Town’s Promotion Hopes Flicker
Thankfully for Swindon, this blip on their record was not too damaging for their hopes of automatic promotion or perhaps even more, with Notts County facing leaders Bromley, meaning at least one of their direct rivals would drop points.
While it is certainly a failure to capitalise on that fact with a 1-1 draw played out at Hayes Lane, the Robins will be eager to bounce back and get back to their regular selves, facing a Barnet side that will be without manager Dean Brennan due to his suspension.
They face a slight disadvantage having played at least a game more than the sides around them, putting more emphasis on needing to take as many points as they can and hope the sides behind them, such as County and Salford City, falter in their promotion pushes.
Salop Highlight Weakness
In what was a perfect day for Shrewsbury Town, they have given sides going forward a template on how to handle a title-calibre squad, with their set-piece prowess coming in handy to give them a second win on the bounce under Gavin Cowan.
That might be music to the ears of Swindon’s future opponents, particularly Crewe Alexandra, who can rely on Mickey Demetriou as their best threat from dead-ball situations.
With the fixtures continuing to come thick and fast for Swindon, it may be a painful week if their opponents can match Salop’s restrictive play in this one and Swindon continue to play far from their best.
