SWINDON Town manager Phil Brown has urged his troops to make life easier for themselves after again getting themselves off the hook in a 3-2 win at home to Tranmere Rovers in League Two this afternoon.

It is the second home league match in succession that Town have been forced to come from behind for victory, having beaten Macclesfield Town by the same scoreline at the Energy Check County Ground on the opening day of the season a fortnight ago.

Brown felt Town’s first-half performance was unacceptable as Jonny Smith and James Norwood put Rovers 2-0 up inside 13 minutes – although a red card for Jay Harris shifted momentum and Elijah Adebayo cut the gap at the break.

Marc Richards and Joe Romanski then completed the comeback in the second half and Brown says his players must stop giving themselves so much to do in order to win games.

“I had a sweat on when I shouldn’t have had a sweat on,” said Brown.

“At the end of the day, I am doing everything I possibly can on the touchline to try to make them understand and make them realise that we have an opportunity and if we don’t take it, then it is down to ourselves.

“It is purely down to what is in that changing room from a mental perspective, not from a physical or technical perspective – I think the ability is there for me and everyone to see.

“I thought the first-half performance was not just totally unacceptable, it was poor. It was as though someone laid a glove on us and we went over.

“It took a rash challenge from one of their players for them to go down to 10 men for us to really step up to the plate.

“We have got to get that balance of playing and starting with the right mentality for a game.

“We are killing ourselves. At the end of the day, OK we are climbing the mountain, but some days we won’t be able to climb the mountain.

“If truth be known, Tranmere could have come away with something, should have come away with something, but it was one-way traffic in the end.

“That final pass and final decision to play a quality ball into the penalty box eventually came and we got our just rewards.”

Seeking a way back into the game, Brown made a bold decision to send on striker Marc Richards for his first appearance of the season after just 25 minutes with the score at 2-1.

The move paid off and Brown says the fact Richards has proven his fitness after starting the season on the sidelines with a shoulder injury was a big a positive as anything from the game.

Brown said: “I took a massive risk with Marc Richards as I don’t think he was ready for that at all, but that is one hell of a bonus.

“Better than any red card, better than any 3-2 win or three points where we didn’t deserve it.”