SWINDON Town manager Mark Cooper paid tribute to the 288 fans who made the trip to Cumbria to watch his side lose 1-0 at Carlisle United on Saturday.

The Robins were left with nothing to show for their 550-mile return journey to Brunton Park, as Gary Madine slotted home the only goal of the game in the 37th minute to hand Carlisle a crucial three points in their battle to avoid relegation from League One.

The travelling supporters were subjected to a lethargic Swindon performance in the first half and, though the visitors were much improved following the introduction of Alex Pritchard after the break, they were unable to breach the Blues’ defences.

Cooper thanked the away fans after the game, saying: “I thought the supporters were fantastic today. I want to thank them for their support and a very, very long trip but I thought the performance was okay.

“It was brilliant (to see so many Swindon fans at Brunton Park). I thought they were tremendous, they got behind us and I thought the performance- especially in the second half – was good. I thought we totally dominated the game but we couldn’t get that finish.”