A SWINDON Town team mixed with youth and experienced slipped to a 3-0 loss away at Brentford this afternoon in a friendly.

Scott Twine returned from his loan spell at Waterford to play 75 minutes while Chris Robertson also started, as did Luke McCormick, Toumani Diagouraga, James Dunne, Jak McCourt and Marc Richards.

The club’s academy was also represented. Central defender Luke Haines, who has impressed in the Merit League this season, started in the company of Jacob Bancroft while goalkeeper Archie Matthews came off the bench as did Ralph Graham.

Taylor Curran and Martin Smith were other named players to feature.

Brentford enjoyed most of the possession in he early stages and were denied an early goal when Luke Haines headed Sergi Canos’ effort wide with 10 minutes played.

The hosts then opened the scoring after Emiliano Marcondes won possession before slotting his shot beyond a stranded Luke McCormick in goal.

Marcondes then created the Bees’ second goal 10 minutes later when finding the forward run of Josh Dasilva to double Brentford’s lead.

McCormick had to play a star role for Town as a series of Brentford attacks were stopped only by the Town stopper – Sergi Canos, Theo Archibald and Lewis Macleod were all denied with some help from the woodwork.

Only Marc Richards’ sliced effort came close to threatening the Bees’ net in a below-par opening half.

However, Richie Wellens’ side started the second half in a more determined fashion.

Scott Twine crashed a close-range effort onto the bar before Jak McCourt’s follow up effort was blazed over.

Veteran forward Richards should’ve halved the deficit, but pulled a shot wide from eight yards with the goal gaping in front of him.

Brentford survived the momentary scare and were soon in control of proceedings.

Canos twice went close before Marcondes struck his dipping free-kick onto the roof of the net from 35-yards out, ending the afternoon’s scoring.

BRENTFORD: Daniels; Kirk, Sorensen, Field (Trialist 46); Majka (Ogbene 62), Macleod (Coote 75), McEachran, Archibald; Dasilva, Canos (Mitchell 75); Marcondes

SWINDON: McCormick (Matthews 60); Trialist, Robertson, Haines (Trialist), Stanley; Bancroft, Diagouraga (Smith 46), McCourt (Graham 60), Twine (Curran 75); Dunne (Trialist 60), Richards