PHIL Brown revealed a lack of assessment time led to the departure of Irish midfielder Donal McDermott, who was one of five players released by Swindon Town on Wednesday morning.

McDermott made 21 appearances for Town this season, but his campaign was restricted after damaging his ankle ligaments against Bristol Rovers in November.

It meant the 28-year-old appeared six times under Phil Brown, who admitted the former Bournemouth man had his fair share of bad luck.

Brown said: “Some players were unlucky when I arrived at the club, they were in the treatment room.

“You couldn’t make a solid assessment of them – Donal McDermott being one of them.

“Donal was in the treatment room for three or four games and when he came out of the treatment room match fitness was against him.

“He got one opportunity when Kellan Gordan went down, and he did very well in that game.

“But one game doesn’t make a career, it’s difficult to make a judgement on a player.”

Reice Charles-Cook, Tom Ouldridge, Ben Purkiss and Tom Smith were the other four players to be released by Brown as he reshuffles his pack ahead of his first full season in charge at the County Ground.

Brown spoke about players adapting to his style of football during his initial stint at the club.

And a lack of adaptation from the players released was the ultimate reason for their departure from the club, said Brown.

He added: “There are certain players that didn’t have much time or opportunity but there are certain ones I made my mind up that they weren’t my type of player.

“It’s up to me to make a judgement based on my DNA, and one or two of them didn’t fit that.”