SWINDON Town’s mental toughness was put to the test for the first time yesterday as Portuguese giants Benfica put five goals past Phil Brown’s side.

Franco Cervi, Eduardo Salvio, Alex Grimaldo, Pizzi and German Conti were on target for Benfica as Town crashed to a 5-0 loss at St George’s Park.

The defeat was Town’s second in less than 24 hours after a youthful Swindon squad let two goals slip against Chippenham Town at Hardenhuish Park on Tuesday night.

While Brown has read little into pre-season results and focussed more on performances, the 59-year-old revealed that he hopes yesterday’s loss acts as a ‘wake-up call’ for any of his players that believe they can play at the highest level.

He said: “Anybody at our football club that thinks they can play in the top flight got a bit of a lesson.

“I’m glad it was behind closed doors, because it was a pleasure to watch. But at the same time, the score embarrassed us to a certain extent.

“I honestly thought it was going be Benfica C that we’d be playing. But they played guys that represented Portugal at the World Cup.

“Of the team that played, the opening team was probably as close to their starting team as they’re going to get.

“They popped the ball around for fun. Then the team that came on was close to their second team, if you like.”

Despite the heavy loss, Brown believes yesterday’s game will benefit his men in the long-run – particularly when it comes to being on the receiving end of results throughout their League Two campaign.

With less than three weeks remaining until his side face Macclesfield Town in their opening fixture, Brown admits shape, organisation, discipline and hard work must be prioritised.

He added: “In hindsight, was it a worthwhile exercise? I think so. Anybody that thinks the second division is going to be a breeze next year got a harsh reality check.

“I can’t say I planned for us to get beat, because I don’t like getting beat. But it’s a lesson we need, and we’ve got to take something from this.”