TWO 3-0 defeats in four days have ended any slim hopes that Swindon Town may have had of earning automatic promotion, writes Danny Hall.

The scorelines against play-off chasing MK Dons on Saturday and champions elect Bristol City on Tuesday were identical and there were similarities in the performances.

As the season approaches its run-in two long-term weaknesses in the Town side have been further exposed.

Firstly, the lack of a true Championship striker – usually a pre-requisite for any team with pretensions of being promoted from League One.

Secondly, the insistence of playing the ball out on the deck from the goalkeeper is causing kamikaze moments in defence and leading directly to goals.

On Saturday we probably got what we deserved but on Tuesday night, Bristol City can rarely have seen so little of the ball at home. And yet they were clinical in their finishing and we were not.

Ben Gladwin, our best outfield player on Saturday when playing wide left, was moved into a more central position with John Swift dropped to the bench.

Gladwin was unplayable in the first half as he terrorised the City defence with a display just missing a goal.

Wes Foderingham, something of a hero on Saturday, had little to do on Tuesday apart from picking the ball out of the net three times. His opposite number Fielding was so much busier.

Once again some of our failings were in front of goal with Andy Williams and Michael Smith both proving wasteful.

Williams’ desperation for a goal was shown early when, with his strike partner in acres of space on the edge of the six-yard box, he unsuccessfully went for glory instead.

Meanwhile, Rafa Branco had one of those games when he is a liability. He has not got the discipline or decision-making to be a ball-playing centre back as is required by the Town system. Branco's mistakes under pressure led to the final two City goals.

As for his marking of danger man Aden Flint at set pieces, I suspect something must have got lost in translation at the pre-game tactical team talk. To say his treatment of Flint was agricultural is an understatement.

He started it with a forearm smash which should have earned him a red card and there was at least one other foul on Flint which deserved to give away a penalty.

Branco is suspended and unavailable for selection when Peterboro visit on Saturday. Nathan Thompson and Yaser Kasim are similarly absent.

At least Sam Ricketts will play in a more natural position in the back three rather than his fish-out-of-water left wing back role of Tuesday night.