Gavin Gunning called for Harry McKirdy to take his confidence to the next level after the loanee’s stoppage-time equaliser secured Swindon a point in a 2-2 draw with Gillingham.
New signing Sean McGurk struck after 24 minutes at Priestfield to give Town the lead, though Oli Hawkins’ header and Connor Mahoney’s penalty edged the Gills ahead.
The hosts thought they had wrapped up a comeback triumph, but Swindon managed to snatch a point through substitute McKirdy’s late equaliser – his first goal since returning to Town on loan from Hibernian.
Interim head coach Gunning, who has spent almost a month at the helm since Michael Flynn’s departure, said: “When it clicks for Harry, he can carve up defences at this level and I’m very happy for him.
“In his career he’s struggled for a bit of confidence, so maybe that goal will spur him on to the next level, I’m looking forward to his next few weeks unfolding.
“They’re in good form, they’re an experienced team, so all in all I’ll take the draw, 90 plus four, but it’s frustrating when we’re missing a load of chances.
“Obviously scoring at the death is brilliant, but when you’re in charge of a game and you miss chances, the players can get sloppy, they can punish you and you get out of your rhythm.
“Every manager we’ve played against has been really positive about the way we’re playing. When it clicks, somebody’s going to get a belting.”
Stephen Clemence’s side were on track to claim back-to-back wins and their fifth in eight matches before substitute McKirdy disrupted their evening at home.
Following a further dent to the Gills’ play-off charge, and the chance to move into seventh, the boss felt assured that his side’s belief is still strong.
He said: “You can’t fault the effort of the lads, they dug in when it was difficult and then had a right go in the second half. We were unfortunate not to win it in the end.
“There’s a belief in the group now that they can score goals and take teams on. They are in a much better place.
“We haven’t lost, we’ve moved a point closer to the play-offs, but it’s a bit frustrating knowing if we’d have won we’d have moved into the top seven.
“We didn’t start well enough, but fair play to Swindon, they played well and they could have been two or three up.
“We had to change one or two things at half-time, which helped us in the second half and allowed us to get more pressure up the pitch. I feel disappointed right now but I think it’s a fair result.”
Postecoglou lauds 'outstanding' Tottenham after statement win
Ange Postecoglou has hailed his "outstanding" Tottenham side after their dominant 3-0 victory over 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Spurs took the lead after three minutes through Brennan Johnson and gained a numerical advantage just before the break as Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a high tackle on James Maddison.
Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke secured the three points in the second half, as they had 24 shots (10 on target) and created 4.67 expected goals (xG).
They also created nine big chances, the joint-most ever recorded in a Premier League match, as they extended their unbeaten run over United to four games in the competition.
Postecoglou was impressed with his team's performance across the 90 minutes, particularly with their fast start.
"I thought it was an outstanding performance," Postecoglou told BBC Match of the Day. "We started the game well, scored a great goal and probably should have had two or three.
"The pressure then overwhelms them, and they get the red card. After that, I thought we controlled the game well. Just an outstanding effort from all the lads.
"I don't know about frustrated [about not getting more goals], but I am only human. More for the players themselves. We played some unbelievable football, and you want them to get the rewards.
"Every game you always want to start well, but it doesn't always happen. I told the boys that in the last two games, we conceded in the first 20 seconds against Brentford and then had a man sent off in the first eight minutes, so it is about dealing with what you have out there.
"That is our fourth win in a row, and we have won them in different ways, but always stayed true to our principals and the way we want to play football."
Johnson also struck the post in the first half and got the assist for Kulusevski's strike just two minutes into the second.
He has now scored in consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time in his career (79th app on Sunday), while he has netted four times across all competitions this season – just one fewer than he managed in 34 games for Tottenham last term (five).
"Yes, that [starting fast] is what we do, it is what the manager talks about all the time," Johnson said.
"We are not a team that takes 10-15 minutes to get into a game because that's not the way we play. From minute one we have to be at the opponent so that they know they are in a game, and it just brings out the best in us.
"If we can get a game with good intensity, it suits us so much, and if we can score early on then even better because it means teams have to open up a bit.
"[Winning four in a row] is a sign of intent from us. I think, whatever competition it is important to get the wins.
"We came here with a clear game plan but at the end of the day, we had to win. We can play as well as we can, but if we don't come away with the win, then it's all for nothing - we have learned that a few times this season, so to win and get a clean sheet, it's a great day."
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid: Correa's last-gasp equaliser caps dramatic derby
Angel Correa bundled home a stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in a LaLiga derby which was suspended in the second half.
The home fans threw objects onto the pitch near Thibaut Courtois in the 69th minute, forcing a stop to proceedings as the trouble was dealt with.
Shortly before that, Eder Militao had opened the scoring for the visitors, with his rifled effort taking a deflection past Jan Oblak into the back of the net 64 minutes in.
The game was stopped for around 20 minutes, and when the players returned to the pitch, Atletico piled the pressure on.
They eventually levelled the score in the 95th minute, with substitute Correa rounding Courtois to roll it into an empty net, and the goal, which was initially ruled offside, was given following a VAR review.
Diego Llorente was then sent off four minutes later, sliding in with a heavy challenge on Fran Garcia, with VAR upgrading his yellow card to a red.
Real Madrid are second in the standings on 18 points, three behind Barcelona, but two ahead of Atletico in third after eight games.
Data Debrief: Sharing the spoils
For the most part, the Madrid derby was a cagey affair, with neither side creating too much of note in the opening exchanges, but they both ramped up the pressure after the break.
Vinicius Junior's assist for the opener was his fifth in all competitions so far this season, the joint-most of any player across the top five European leagues.
But you can never count Atletico out - they have scored five goals in the final 15 minutes of the second half so far this season, with no team in LaLiga netting more.
All in all, it was a memorable tie, even more so for Antoine Griezmann, who was making his 500th LaLiga appearance, becoming the 14th player to hit the milestone in the competition's history.
Napoli 2-0 Monza: Politano and Kvaratskhelia propel hosts to Serie A summit
Napoli moved top of Serie A following a routine 2-0 win over Monza at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did the trick for Antonio Conte's side, who leapfrogged Juventus to the summit of the table.
The hosts broke through in the 22nd minute as Politano rounded off a strong run by drilling a low shot beyond Stefano Turati in the Monza goal.
The visitors were then victims of their own downfall as Napoli doubled their lead 11 minutes later.
Turati pass out from the back went straight to Frank Anguissa, who then combined with Scott McTominay to set up Kvaratskhelia to volley home.
Though Monza improved in the second half, they were unable to truly trouble Napoli, who held out for the three points and their fourth clean sheet of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Politano matches Zapata and Dybala
Napoli are back at the Serie A summit for the first time since the final day of the Scudetto-winning season of 2022-23.
Politano got the ball rolling as he became one of only three players to score in each of the last 10 Serie A seasons, along with Duvan Zapata and Paulo Dybala.
Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with what was his fifth direct goal involvement (three goals, two assists) of the campaign, a tally only bettered by AC Milan's Christian Pulisic (six).
The Partenopei have now gone 388 minutes without conceding a goal, and have recorded three successive clean sheets in Serie A for the first time since February 2023.
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