A SEASON of individual inconsistencies have harmed Swindon Town, according to caretaker boss Tommy Wright, with the coach calling a couple of the side’s recent performances “gutless.”

Of the displays that disappointed Wright the most was last Saturday’s 5-0 defeat away at Milton Keynes Dons, where Town were a distant second best for the full 90 minutes.

Another was the 4-1 defeat against AFC Wimbledon – with these games coming either side of a convincing home win over play-off chasing Portsmouth.

The inconsistencies shown over the course of a week were a microcosm of Swindon’s entire season, according to Wright, who has backed his side to beat Ipswich Town in the club’s final home game this weekend.

He said: “Football is funny – we beat Portsmouth and then get absolutely hammered against MK, the players can come back again, I’m sure.

“It’s that consistency of play that’s been a problem for us.

“People say you want players who get a seven out of 10 every week, and you can rely on them. But we’ve got some players who get a seven and then a two! It’s crazy.

“Sometimes you’ll think we’ve cracked it when we win a couple on the bounce, but some of the performances recently have been very, very poor.

“Wimbledon and MK Dons, the performances were gutless, I think would be a good enough word for it.”

Wright continued by suggesting to the considerable group of out-of-contract players at the County Ground that if they want to play at good clubs next season, their final two performances of the campaign must improve greatly.

The experienced coach highlighted the wide-ranging and in-depth analysis that clubs will do before signing players in the modern age of football, stating that one abject display against Ipswich could result in a drop down in league or wages.

Wright said: “I would say to the players, in the modern day, people look at players through Wyscout and other analysis tools all the time.

“Clubs might be looking at you and another player for certain positions.

“They’re going to analyse you, look at your clips, and look how you played in certain games. You don’t want another club looking at you after playing like that, do you?

“Sometimes football is a cruel game, but one thing is true for everyone – you’ve got to go out and give it your all.

“Even the top players, you look at their stats (from a bad game), they run, they tackle, they compete. That’s the difference, and we didn’t do that.”