SWINDON Town manager Phil Brown conceded his side needed to show “more guile in the final third” after being held to a goalless draw at home by 10-man Mansfield Town today.

The hosts played the entire second half with a numerical advantage following the dismissal of Stags midfielder Will Atkinson for a second bookable offence just before the break.

Swindon were in the ascendancy from then until the final whistle but a lack of a ruthless edge in attacking positions meant a winning goal eluded them.

Although frustrated by his side’s failure to claim victory, Brown admitted his side simply did not do enough to claim all three points at the Energy Check County Ground.

“I am disappointed, first and foremost,” said Brown.

“When a side goes down to 10 men as early as that, you always expect to go on and win the game, but you have got no divine right to win a game just because you are 10 against 11, as we have proved on a number of occasions this season.

“Mansfield were organised, they were well-drilled, and in the second half in the first 10 or 15 minutes, they showed what they were about – they were trying to nick the game on a set-piece.

“At the same time, when it is one-way traffic for the last 10 to 15 minutes, you are just hoping something is going to drop to you in the penalty box and we put it away.

“We have done enough in terms of energy and certainly with where the changes were made, I thought they were positive.

“We huffed and puffed in the final third and the chances that came along fell to the players that you’d want them to.

“Kaiyne Woolery had a half-chance, Marc Richards had a header, Keshi Anderson had a one-on-one in the first half where the keeper made a good save.

“We didn’t quite do enough, but I can’t ask the players for any more effort, I just need probably a bit more guile and a little bit more thought process in the final third.”

The result means Town are now without a victory in five League Two fixtures and they will hope to end that barren spell on Tuesday night when they play host to Cambridge United.