BURY manager David Flitcroft says his side must quickly learn to put teams to the sword in League One after letting a two-goal lead slip at home to last season’s play-off finalists.

Tom Pope headed the Shakers in front in only the fourth minute and Leon Clarke missed a penalty midway through the first half before Danny Mayor doubled their advantage after the break.

It looked like Flitcroft’s newly promoted side would claim their first win since their return to the third tier on what was an emotionally charged day as the club paid tribute to Neville Neville.

But Swindon halved their advantage on 74 minutes when substitute Fabien Robert’s mis-hit shot dribbled into the corner. And Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers – a good friend of Flitcroft’s – was watching from the stands as his son Anton came off the bench to complete the Robins’ comeback with a sublime free-kick seven minutes from time.

“It was outstanding, the way we hurt them from every single angle in the first half, but the scoreline didn’t hurt them,” said Flitcroft.

“Scoring the penalty to put them 2-0 down would have given them a mountain to climb.

“Credit to Swindon, and the character they showed to get back into it, but from our point of view we have got to learn fast how to put teams to the sword.”

Fans from all four corners of the ground paid their respects to Neville – the former commercial director and club ambassador, who died aged 65 - with an impeccably observed minute’s applause before kick off.

The tribute seemed to inspire the Bury players as full-back Joe Riley showed real determination to get to the byline and no shortage of quality to put his cross in the perfect spot for summer signing Pope to power a header into the top corner.

Leon Clarke very nearly scored a second a minute later when he chipped onrushing keeper Lawrence Vigouroux but saw his deft effort drift just wide.

Vigouroux was at fault in the 19th minute as he brought Clarke down to give away a penalty but the Bury striker, who scored from the spot at Wigan in the Capital One Cup, hit the post from 12 yards.

The keeper made amends with a brave block from Clarke, who then very nearly put Pope through for a certain goal before his square pass was cut out by Jordan Williams.

The concern was Bury would be made to pay for their missed chances but that did not look likely when Mayor doubled their advantage on 52 minutes, stroking the loose ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Another impromptu round of applause for Neville in the 66th minute, as a message on the scoreboard read “Neville Neville: Rest in peace”, this time seemed to spur on Swindon.

A change of shape and round of substitutions gave them the impetus and after Robert applied a scruffy finish to convert Yasser Kasim’s ball into the box a Bury side that were coasting suddenly looked rattled.

They stayed firm though and it was only a moment of dead-ball brilliance from Rodgers, who found the top corner from 25 yards, which cost them a deserved victory.

“At 2-0 up we were cruising and giving a top-quality team real problems,” lamented Flitcroft.

“To only be sat here with one point is disappointing but I have got to take the positives out of the 60 or 65 minutes we were outstanding.

“I don’t want to get drawn into that negativity about what could have been.

“Just maybe a little bit of naivety has cost us two points.”

Bury (4-4-2): Walton 6; Riley 8, Cameron 7, P Clarke 7, Hussey 7; Soares 7, Etuhu 6 (Pugh 71 6), Mayor 7 (Hope 80 6), Tutte 7; Pope 9 (Mellis 71 6), L Clarke 8. Not used: Lainton, Sedgwick, Rose, Brown.

Swindon (3-5-2): Vigouroux; Rossi-Branco, Thompson, Turnbull; Byrne, Williams, Kasim, Stewart (Rodgers 59), Ormonde-Ottewell; Smith, Obika (Robert 49). Not used: Belford, Traore, Brophy, Randall, Barry.

Scorers: Bury – Pope 4, Mayor 52. Swindon – Robert 74, Rodgers 83.

Yellow cards: Bury – Etuhu 41. Swindon – Vigouroux 19, Kasim 79.

Referee: Carl Boyeson.

Attendance: 3, 947 (visiting 439).

Star man: Tom Pope – You can’t help but love a player, like Tom Pope, who wears his heart on his sleeve. The summer signing was so desperate to score following what he acknowledged was a below-par performance in the opening league game at Doncaster. And his celebration after planting Joe Riley’s superb cross into the top corner was heartwarming, to say the least. He never stopped running and showing for the ball for the 71 minutes he was on the pitch and given a little more luck could easily have doubled his tally. A real fans’ favourite in the making.