GOALS from Kevin Mirallas, Romelu Lukaku and Conor McAleny meant Swindon Town suffered their second successive defeat of their pre-season program, losing 4-0 to Everton.

Town lived with their Premier League visitors for much of the slow-paced contest at the County Ground, but two strikes from Mirallas just after the break, and late efforts from Lukaku and McAleny proved the difference.

Town’s play was pretty but lost a lot of its momentum with boss Mark Cooper making 11 changes throughout a second half where youngster McAleny shone the brightest for the visitors.

Town lined-up with new signing Jordan Williams at the heart of the defence, with captain Nathan Thompson still not returned from his hamstring injury, he was partnered by triallist Jame Sendles-White and Raphael Branco.

In midfield Nathan Byrne started his first game of pre-season. Drissa Traore continued alongside Yaser Kasim, with another triallist, Fabien Robert, brother of former Newcastle man Laurent ahead of them. Michael Smith, who scored at Swindon Supermarine on Tuesday night, started alongside Jonathan Obika up top.

As to be expected the first half was a very pretty, if not always exhilarating watch.

For their part Town kept the ball well, Traore in particular showing up well at the base of the midfield. However the home side were reduced mainly to efforts from range, only one of which, from Robert, troubled Tim Howard.

The visitors’ frontline contained plenty of pace and their biggest threat came from balls in behind the unfamiliar Town back three.

Williams was doing his best to keep the Toffees at bay, but Sendles-White, playing on the left, struggled with the bright Gerard Deulofeu and the tenacious Steven Naismith.

The scoresheet remained blank until half-time, though Tyrell Belford was the busier of the two keepers, twice reacting well to makes stops from Deulofeu.

Everton changed their side dramatically at the break and it was one of the substitutes, Mirallas, who did the damage in the opening ten minutes of the second half to put Swindon two goals in arrears.

For the first the Belgian latched on to a pass from youngster McAleny and rounded Belford to slot home. Just minutes later great work from Lukaku on the left resulted in a low cross for Mirallas to place home from close range.

In truth the substitutions stunted much of Town’s fluidity and defensive organisation, but the cross for the second goal should not have come in that easily.

Town rarely troubled substitute Everton stopper Joel after the break. Obika was the man who looked most likely, but of his two best chances one was placed wide and the other smothered.

Late on Everton added more goals, Lukaku finishing from a McAleny pass. Then, in added time, the roles were reversed with McAleny rounding off the scoring.

Town (3-4-1-2): Belford (Vasilj, 61) ; Branco (Jebb, 64), Sendles-White, Williams (Maksimenko, 45); Byrne, (Brad Barry, 45) Traore (Rodgers, 45), Kasim (Nicholson, 59), Robert (Storey, 68), Ormonde-Ottowill (Brophy, 59); Smith (Hylton, 45), Obika (Cooke, 73).

Everton (4-2-3-1) first half: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka (C), Browning, Galloway; McCarthy, Barkley; Deulofeu, Naismith, Pienaar; Kone.

Second half: Joel, Hibbert, Browning, Gareth Barry, Galloway, Besic (Kenny, 70), Cleverley, McAleny, Osman, Mirallas, Lukaku.