SWINDON Town’s failure to deal with set-pieces cost them in their first pre-season friendly at Swindon Supermarine.

Luke Hopper and Sam Morris both converted from close range, as Town’s backline failed to deal with Marine’s aerial threat from corners.

A Michael Smith goal did give Town parity in the second half, but they could not hold out as Dave Webb’s side finished strongly.

Swindon Town chose to leave their trialists unnamed and declined to release a teamsheet ahead of their first pre-season friendly at Swindon Supermarine.

However many of the names had been reported. Jamie Sendles-White, Daniel Lincoln, Drissa Traore, Bradley Barry and Sanchez Commock all started as Town adopted, what looked like, a fluid 4-3-3.

Town controlled much of the opening 45, playing in the Marine half. However the League One side failed to provide much penetration, forcing the likes of Jermaine Hylton and Jonathan Obika to drop deep to collect the ball.

It was the Southern League side who took the lead, predictably from a set-piece, Hopper poking home from a yard, after Ross Adams knock-down.

After the goal Town continued in much the same vein, probing but without threatening, ending the half with just a couple of shots from distance to show for their endeavours.

In the second half only Sendles-White and Lincoln kept their places as Town gave the opportunity to a number of academy players, but little improved with neither side finding much fluency.

Town did get an equaliser 15 minutes into the second period. In one of the better passages of play Swindon put together Miles Storey, making his first appearance in a red shirt for year, delivering a great ball for Smith to turn home.

Marine were actually having the better of the chances against the youthful Town side. Jacob Davidge spurned the best of the chances, the striker blazing over from inside the six-yard box from a fierce Bradley Grey centre.

With less than 10 minutes left Marine re-took the lead. Town failed to deal with another Marine set-piece and Joe Shepherd crashed the ball against the bar, allowing Morris to turn home the rebound on the volley.

SWINDON TOWN, FIRST HALF: Lincoln, Barry, Sendles-White, Branco, Ormonde-Ottewill; Traore, Kasim, Randall, Commock, Obika, Hylton.

SWINDON TOWN, SECOND HALF: Lincoln (Belford), Wood, Holland, Sendles White (Evans), A Trialist; Rodgers, Nicholson, Marshall, Storey, Smith, Cooke.