A CLEAROUT of players looms at Swindon Town, following this afternoon’s lackluster 2-1 defeat against Crewe Alexandra – a result that has dropped Town into the bottom half of the League Two table.

Only Kyle Bennett earned Wellens’ praise after the full-time whistle, and the Town boss admitted he could no longer ‘sugar coat’ players that fail to meet his work-rate and commitment demands.

The 39-year-old compared some players’ approach to the game with a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park.

And he pulled no punches in the dressing room afterwards, telling the squad that jobs have been lost as a direct result of today’s performance.

He said: “My team is too nice, and I’m not going to be nice. I’ve told them in the dressing room that I am going to be ruthless.

“There will be a big clear out in the summer.

“I’ve given players that have come in an opportunity to try and win contracts.

“Tom (Broadbent) is someone we have got in contract next year, so I wanted to get him back playing – he was miles off it.

“It took us half an hour to start pressing, and we improved in the second half.

“The start was nowhere near the level I need.”

The one positive Wellens highlighted from Town’s Easter Monday performance was the dedication shown by loan signing Kyle Bennett.

Smart build-up passes and positive runs into Crewe’s box made Bennett a clear option for Town’s player of the match.

But sloppy passing in defence – which granted Crewe two opportunities to score a third goal – hesitation in midfield and poor execution of final ball passes and shots up front would be the best way to describe Town’s performance.

Wellens added: “To talk about the positives would be a lot quicker – Kyle Bennett had a spark. He was enthusiastic and wanted to play.

“The others thought it would be a Monday stroll in the sun. They thought we’d look pretty and play – if you play like that then you get your own medicine.

“The atmosphere in the stadium was a damp squid pretty quickly.

“We didn’t press Crewe. They have some tidy footballers, but if you don’t press them then they will look even better than what they are.

“I want to give Ali (Koiki) as many games as possible to evaluate the rate of his improvement – because he could be an option next year.”