Swindon 2 - Albion 1

IT is as true now at the start of his managerial career as it was at the beginning of his playing career.

Gus Poyet knows being effective in the middle third of the pitch counts for nothing if you are ineffective where it really matters, in both penalty areas.

Albion suffered another unfortunate defeat, this time against one of his old clubs, because they leaked two goals again and missed chances again to add to Nicky Forster’s superbly constructed first-half equaliser.

Poyet said: “I remember a long time ago playing for a team (Real Zaragoza) where we were the best box-to-box but the worst at defending and scoring.

“I have always remembered the manager telling us it doesn’t matter what you do box-to-box.

“It does matter, it helps, but in the end if you do not defend strongly in your own box and you don’t score then you have got no chance.”

Or, to put it more pertinently, those twin shortcomings are a recipe for relegation, a threat which has come more sharply into focus after this latest setback.

A quick glance at the wrong end of the League One table confirms the importance of the next two matches, against Leyton Orient at Withdean on Boxing Day and away to Wycombe two days later.

Albion are three points behind Orient and a further two points adrift of the next strugglers, Oldham.

No wonder Forster has branded them must-win games. He said: “We don’t want to mark ourselves down as an unlucky team.

“We are a bit fed up coming in and saying we have played well but have lost the game. I’d like to come in and say we were poor and won 2-0.”

What Albion need is a few more performances like in the previous away game at Exeter, grinding out a 1-0 victory or, at worst, picking up a point. They have yet to draw in nine matches under Poyet.

Clean sheets are the starting point but the strikers also need to rediscover their reliability in front of goal.

Forster and Glenn Murray were the culprits in the 2-1 home defeat by Colchester.

On this occasion it was Liam Dickinson, part of another bold double second half substitution by Poyet, which changed the pattern of the contest.

Poyet wants his team to play themselves out of trouble, whether fans like it or not.

There were a few jeers from the travelling army when, trailing 1-0, Albion kept possession for what seemed an eternity, playing backwards at times in the build-up to Forster’s stunning 38th-minute equaliser.

The move ended with Elliott Bennett whipping over a cross from the right for Forster to score with a diving header, his seventh goal in five games against Swindon.

Poyet said: “As soon as we put the ball on the floor and started passing they couldn’t really cope with us. I don’t think passing wise there is going to be a better goal this season.

“That is something we need to keep doing, because I think we have got the quality to do it. It’s going to take the supporters a while to understand.

“A few fans didn’t want us passing it so much. I cannot ask any more of them, because they want us to win but I think that is the right way to play. It was just unlucky that goal didn’t give us any points.”

Neither Poyet or Forster had any complaints about the decision to award a penalty seven minutes earlier, from which Billy Paynter put Swindon ahead.

Jimmy McNulty pushed Paynter in the back after substitute Lecsinel Jean-Francois got the better of Elliott Bennett to cross from in front of the dugouts.

The goal which gave Danny Wilson’s play-off contenders the lead again early into the restart was not unlike Forster’s in its finishing flourish.

Charlie Austin found space at the back post to head in a probing right-wing cross from Jon-Paul McGovern which cleared James Tunnicliffe.

Tunnicliffe gave way to Dickinson and Dean Cox replaced Alan Navarro as Poyet switched to 4-3-3 midway through the second half, prompting Albion to pour forward.

Dickinson had a header from a corner cleared off the line and was through twice, but fired the wrong side of the post and was then foiled by keeper David Lucas.

As always seems to be the case when you are struggling, a couple of key decisions went against the Seagulls as well.

Paynter was lucky to see only yellow, not red, for lashing out at Adam El-Abd and referee Jonathan Moss rounded off a poor performance by denying Forster a stoppage-time penalty when he was fouled by Alan Sheehan.

Forster said: “I played the ball through his legs, he made no contact with the ball at all, I tried to go round the other side and he brought me down.

“How that isn’t a foul is beyond me. I think part of it is we were in the 47th minute of the second half and it would have been controversial to give a penalty against the home side.”

The breaks are not going their way but Albion must start making their own luck. Albion (4-4-2): Brezovan; El-Abd, Tunnicliffe (Dickinson 67), Elphick, McNulty; Bennett, Navarro (Cox 67), Crofts, Dicker; Forster, Murray (Davies 84).

Subs not used: Kuipers, Hart, Virgo, Hoyte.

Goal: Forster (38).

Red cards: None.

Yellow cards: McNulty (31) foul, Dicker (58) foul, Elphick (65) foul.

Swindon Town (4-4-2): Lucas; Amankwaah (Jean-Francois 25), Cuthbert, Greer, Sheehan; McGovern, Douglas, Ferry, O'Brien (Timlin 75); Paynter, Austin.

Subs not used: Smith, Macklin, Ward, Marshall, Revell.

Goals: Paynter (31) penalty, Austin (54).

Red cards: None.

Yellow cards: Douglas (49) foul, Paynter (68) unsporting behaviour, Sheehan (79) foul.

andy.naylor @theargus.co.uk