Gavin Gunning said that the Swindon Town players were in the wrong profession if they were already on the beach.

Swindon have seven games remaining this season and with relegation looking unlikely and reaching the play-offs more or less an impossibility, there is often the belief that some players might have their thoughts away from the games they are playing.

With the majority of the squad still playing for contracts, Gunning said that if the players were not continuing to give their all then they were not in the right profession and would struggle to find a club next year.

He said: “Listen, you are playing for Swindon Town, and you are employed by this football club, you get your wages paid and you get paid well.

“The realism is if that you don’t do well then you won’t get a contract here and if you are 19th in League Two, who is going to be looking at you? National League clubs, possibly, and maybe some other League Two teams.

“The thing is that you are playing for your own personal pride, as well, you have got to have pride in what you are doing, otherwise there is no point in playing. Get a different job.”

The interim head coach said that he was keen for the players to use this time to start getting into the right habits that would help them improve as individuals and as a team.

He said: “As I have said, I am massive on habits and in football and in life if you don’t have good habits then that is what happens, you just fall back into bad habits.

“That is unfortunately what we are doing at the minute, we are starting like rubbish and we just keep going like rubbish.

“It is taking some tactical tweaks and a bit of a rollicking to get going and in the second half, we were pummelling them.

“You have got to have more professionalism than that, you can’t be 2-0 down and chasing the game and think that that is ok.

“The fans aren’t going to be happy because we are in a horrific position in the league, that is simple, and I don’t blame the fans for not being happy.

“I am not happy being the head coach and I don’t think anyone at the club is happy because it is unacceptable.”