MK Dons defeat was a big learning experience for Holloway

Ian Holloway felt that Swindon Town's 3-1 defeat against Milton Keynes Dons was a big learning experience for him.

Swindon got off to an ideal start at Stadium MK as Harry Smith headed home after just 18 seconds but the game changed in the final seconds of the first half as Kane Thompson-Sommers turned home.

MK Dons pushed on and Scott Hogan and Alex Gilbey turned into the back of the net to see Swindon go a fourth game without victory.

Holloway said that many things about the game had surprised him and he believed that he would learn a lot from it to help Swindon improve in the future.

He said: "We need to learn that when somebody plays that shape against you, who is going to the ball?

"Who is going and who is reacting with you? Because they played around us today, a bit like Tottenham did but they were in a totally different shape.

"They played around us and it was unsettling and they played got in behind us and they got in, so I will have to look at that.

"We spoke about what we felt we were going to do to impose our game on them.

"We scored too quickly and we got too excited - I would rather score early but don't lose it, what are we doing?

"You need to keep calm and stay composed but I ended up changing it and maybe that wobbled us because I wanted people closer to their wing-backs.

"I asked Aaron to come out there and although he is not really a wing-back he did a fantastic job although we got done a couple of times.

"We have got to learn and what I will do is learn very quickly from this because I haven't played against that shape before.

"I really like it and I like the way they did it and now I know some things that I didn't know before. It has to be onwards and upwards.

"It is still early doors but we have to learn very quickly as it is a competitive game - I felt that we competed but they got three and we only got one."

Drinan ended up playing as a wing-back and Holloway explained that decision after the match.

He said: "Their shape was hurting us with how they were moving it because they had people in slightly different areas.

"We knew about that and we tried to stop it but you can't keep letting six get out.

"They worked it and worked it and worked it into six and he hit a long ball when nobody was on him and that long ball got in too many times.

"What I tried to do was match them up in those areas and asked Aaron to do that and then we were only left with two up front.

"Then big'un kept chasing everybody, when all he had to do was stop six getting it.

"We hadn't done this before so we have to learn from that."