A QUITE unexpected defeat… but was this frustrating show a sign of things to come if Wanderers do not find some leeway in the transfer market?

The temptation is to brush off Saturday afternoon as a bad day at the office and turn our attention towards Sam Allardyce, Crystal Palace and a potentially lucrative FA Cup fourth-round game against Manchester City.

If the Whites spring a shock at Selhurst Park then naturally that result will dominate the agenda, at least until the weekend. But by that point the winter window will be nearly two-thirds done.

No transfer decisions should be based on this result alone. Swindon hung stubbornly in there after David Wheater’s brilliant volley but played some decent football on the break and do not look like a team which should be battling relegation.

Ben Gladwin’s equaliser was a surprise, Yaser Kasim’s 89th-minute winner more so, but the game had opened up to the degree that anyone could have won it in a frantic last quarter.

Wanderers did contribute to their own downfall, however, raising the age-old doubts over a proven goal-scorer and also showing for the first time that they really are missing Sammy Ameobi’s unpredictable presence.

Phil Parkinson has fashioned a team of frightening consistency, and one more than capable of finishing in the top six in League One. Whether it has the extra five per cent quality needed to nudge ahead of the Sheffield Uniteds, Scunthorpes or – dare I say it – Bradford Citys of this world might well depend on the next couple of weeks.

Ken Anderson warned there would be little business, in or out, at the Macron prior to Christmas. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the rumour mill has stood still in the last fortnight.

Interest in former loanee Adam Le Fondre emerged, somewhat covertly. But while fans long to see the striker back in a Bolton shirt, there are plenty of hoops to be jumped through before that becomes a reality – the biggest of which, the Football League, are keen to see more progress on the financial front before they relax the embargo any further.

Ameobi’s return to Newcastle also had financial connotations. His penetration and unpredictability were missed against Swindon. James Henry hit the post, worked hard, yet was just as guilty as anyone else for failing to produce the quality needed in wide areas.

The visitors’ diamond midfield demanded that the full-backs and wingers made their possession count. And that, more than anything else, is what they failed to do at the Macron.

Too many crosses were catching practice for the impressive Lawrence Vigouroux, sailed over heads or failed to hit the mark. Too many times players got all the way to the by-line, only to hit the covering defender.

And when the ball did bounce invitingly around the penalty box, it is no secret that Parkinson does not have a natural poacher in his ranks to capitalise.

Can Wanderers afford to emerge from the window without adding something different? The common consensus is ‘no’.

The first half was a relative non-event. Zach Clough brought a good early save out of Vigouroux after driving from deep and was more involved against Swindon than he had been in recent weeks.

He had the only other chance of note in the half, too, curling a free kick over the wall to force Swindon’s French keeper into another theatrical stop.

The atmosphere at the Macron has been rightly praised in the last few months but felt downright grumpy in the first 45 minutes as the disjointed football proved tough to watch.

Thankfully, things improved quickly after the restart. Jay Spearing’s swinging corner was met with a thunderbolt volley from David Wheater – the ball pinging off the underside of the bar for a truly spectacular opener.

The defender now has four for the season and it is a shame his goal did not prove more decisive. It deserved to be a headline maker.

Swindon’s bench were incensed, arguing the corner which led to the goal should have been a goal kick. Referee Mark Heywood had to stop the game at one point to tell them to calm down.

Wanderers looked good for a second goal, only to lose their poise at crucial moments. Out of nowhere, Ben Gladwin’s deflected shot whizzed past Ben Alnwick and the game was level again.

Gladwin was one of four debutants in the visitors’ team, which made their tidy counter-attacking all the more impressive. The game started to open up, and it became quite obvious there was another goal to be scored for someone.

Kasim slid one shot wide at the far post and Wheater made a brave block to deny Charlie Colkett.

Wanderers twice managed to hit the post through Henry, one via another great save from Vigouroux, then have Josh Vela clear the bar by inches with a deflected effort.

Parkinson had made an attacking move by bringing Max Clayton on for Tom Thorpe and dropping Vela deeper but the gamble had made the game a precarious see-saw battle.

A point would have been meagre reward but given results elsewhere, not the worst outcome.

Kasim provided a killer blow in the final minute, finishing neatly at the far post from Colkett’s cross.

Wanderers have bounced back from similar situations already this season and have more than enough character to do it again. But these dropped points felt preventable.

And one wonders if they are allowed to rack up what damage they could do in the longer term?