SWINDON Town manager Mark Cooper has defended his team selection, in which he made seven changes, as a young and inexperienced side fell to a 3-0 defeat away to Preston North End.

Despite nearly 800 fans making the trip to Lancashire for today’s game Cooper rested several first team players with Ty Belford, Jermaine Hylton, George Barker, Jack Barthram, Will Randall and Lee Marshall all handed starts.

Cooper insisted his decision was part of a master plan to have his side ready for the play-off first leg on Thursday, May 7, and said that the fans should feel proud that the club has so many young players that they can call on.

"I said it was about us and how we are going to prepare,” said Cooper after the match

"It is entirely about our preparation for the play-offs and making sure that the team that plays in the first play-off leg is ready, free of injury and fresh mentally and physically.

"It might not work. But we have put a plan in place that we think gives us a possibility, a realistic possibility, of doing well in play-offs.

"If I'd have brought the players that weren't here and three of them got injuries and couldn't play in the play-offs would I have got ridiculed for playing them instead of resting them?

"If they were fully fit (having) played a lot of football and pulled a hamstring I wouldn't be able to sleep.

"We can't get any higher and we can't get any lower. All I'm doing is giving those players the maximum time to be fresh for the play-offs.

"I'm not doing anything scientific or mind blowing, as a club we've decided the best way to do it is to make sure we're right for May 7."

Despite the 3-0 score-line Cooper was impressed with the performance of his young side who, after a shaky start, played well in the first period before two goals either side of the break knocked the stuffing out of Town.

“We’re not meaning to antagonise anybody,” added Cooper who expects to have Yaser Kasim and Massimo Luongo back available for Tuesday’s clash against Colchester.

"I knew we'd cause Preston problems, which we did in the first half. The first goal was offside and after that we dominated large spells of possession.

"If we'd have scored, with the pressure that was on Preston, it becomes interesting.

"I don't think the young boys tired, I think if they're fully fit of it, I think the ones that have played a lot of football may have tired more than the younger ones."