Swindon went down to a 27-15 defeat against Wallingford in Saturday's Berks, Bucks and Oxon Division One encounter.
The visitors' preparations were disrupted when Swindon lost prop Steve Davis and full-back Nathan Waite to illness on the morning of the game.
Their absence resulted in a number of positional moves to the starting XV and a lack of cohesion in the ranks was evident when Wallingford took an early lead.
They scored two tries in the first 10 minutes and Swindon found themselves having to dig in for the rest of the first half.
Fly-half Connal Knott gave the visitors some hope as he continued his scoring form with a chip-and-chase try.
A try from winger Nathan Warren then saw Swindon draw level.
With Wallingford on the attack, a misplaced pass found Swindon centre Pete Woods and after a strong run, he fed Warren, who squeezed over in the corner.
That left the scores level at half-time, but it was Wallingford who started the stronger in the second half and a converted try and penalty saw them take a 20-10 lead.
They sealed victory after a period of pressure saw them camped on the Swindon line. The defence eventually gave way and Wallingford added another converted try.
Swindon rallied well in the latter stages and a third consolation score arrived when full-back Jamie Whatcott kicked for flanker James King to gather and touch down.
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