ON-LOAN full-back Ali Koiki says Swindon Town will refuse to use the poor weather conditions as an excuse for failing to get back to winning ways in League Two after a goalless draw at home to Port Vale at the weekend.

A blustery wind blighted the contest at the Energy Check County Ground, with players’ ability to place passes accurately and judge forward runs significantly hampered as a result.

Town actually coped far better with the elements than their Vale visitors, with Richie Wellens’ side dominating the play in the second half despite playing into the stiff breeze.

However, a genuine goal-scoring chance remained elusive and they had to make do with just a point to show for their efforts – making their tally just one from the last three games.

Koiki, who joined Town in January on loan from Premier League side Burnley until the end of the season, admitted the conditions were difficult to contend with, but felt the hosts must not point the finger of blame solely in that direction for the disappointing result.

“There is nothing we can really do about the conditions – we have to keep playing and keep trying,” said Koiki, who was making his seventh appearance for Town.

“Obviously, they made it very difficult. We are trying not to make an excuse, but it is hard to judge where the ball is going.

“In the second half, we were playing against the wind. It wasn’t on top of us and we weren’t kicking the ball out of play as much. We were playing forward passes and it was holding up for us.

“We have been doing quite a bit of attacking forward play and patterns of play, but with the conditions on Saturday, we just could not quite find that final pass.”

After back-to-back defeats away at Carlisle United and Stevenage, Koiki felt Town were much-improved against the Valiants.

However, the 19-year-old conceded that the lack of a cutting edge in the final third meant they were unable to mark their return to home turf with a much-needed victory.

“We think it was a good enough reaction from Stevenage,” said Koiki.

“We defended well and kept a clean sheet, so that is a start, but we feel we could have been even more positive and got the goal to win us the game.

“Our quality in the final third just wasn’t there.”