Swindon Town were able to grind out a point on the road as they drew 1-1 with Harrogate Town in League Two.
Jake Young scored for a fourth match on the spin in the first half with a delicious curling effort that had Swindon in the lead at half-time.
Jack Muldoon levelled the scores from outside the box early in the second half and Swindon had to cling on to bring home a point.
Town avoid equalling their longest-ever run of defeats in the fourth tier, but a draw means they have won just one of their last nine matches in League Two since beginning the season with a run of nine without a loss.
Michael Flynn opted to make two changes from Swindon’s defeat against Stockport County as Liam Kinsella replaced the injured George McEachran and Harrison Minturn came in for Tom Brewitt. Anton Dworzak, Jaxon Brown, Sonny Hart, and Fletcher Hubbard were all called up from the youth team to make up the bench.
After eight minutes Young chased down a defender wide on the right and won the ball back. He looked to drive forward and ghosted beyond another yellow shirt before drilling a shot from the corner of the box just wide of the far post.
Sam Folarin was picking up plenty of space early on and he was able to hold the ball up on the edge of the box before playing Abraham Odoh beyond the back line. He raced through, but Murphy Mahoney closed down the angle quickly to make the save.
A pair of consecutive Dan Kemp corners caused problems for Harrogate. The first was a clever routine to find Young in space in the box, but his half-volley was deflected behind. The second went to the far post where Charlie Austin rose highest, but his header dropped onto the roof of the net.
Swindon nearly caught the hosts on the hop after 17 minutes when Udoka Godwin-Malife played the ball into Kemp in tons of space on the halfway line. He turned and charged towards goal but he lacked composure when he reached the edge of the box, and he miscontrolled the ball behind.
The Sulphurites had a golden chance to take the lead as Jack Muldoon came inside and slipped Folarin clean through. With the goal at his mercy, Mahoney made himself as big as possible and made a miraculous save to keep the game level.
After 25 minutes Swindon found the breakthrough. Young had looked the most likely in the early stages and he received the ball 25 yards out, with nothing on ahead of him he decided to shoot and curled a shot beautifully into the top right corner. Jonathan Mitchell didn’t have a prayer of saving it.
Harrogate were looking dangerous after falling behind and again Folarin was left free on the break, he tried to finish across Mahoney, but once again the Town ‘keeper was equal to it.
Swindon went in at the break in the lead having largely controlled possession. However, the troubles in transition were very much still present as Odoh and Folarin were getting in behind at ease. Heading into the second period, Flynn needed to find a solution to prevent that, or Town would not have that clean sheet for long.
The Sulphurites came out in the second half with a second wind and had a few early set-piece opportunities. Matty Foulds first floated a free-kick towards the back stick, but Muldoon failed to make contact. Then another free-kick went deep, but McDonald headed it over the top from outside the far post.
With 57 minutes on the clock, Kemp clipped a corner into the near post, where Austin had made a clever run and he directed the ball at goal, but Mitchell was in position to make a good save.
On the hour mark, Anthony O’Connor drove a pass into space behind Swindon where Odoh raced beyond Liam Kinsella. The striker looked to take his shot quickly to not allow Mahoney to close him down, but it curled wide of the far post.
Harrogate had been on top since the break and got their reward after Muldoon pulled into space on the edge of the area. He took a touch and drove the ball low into the corner and it bounced off the post and into the back of the net.
Swindon were able to recompose themselves after conceding and Kemp rolled away from his marker out wide and found Williams Kokolo in the middle. His turn was cute and he quickly got a shot off, but the defender was there with the block.
Mahoney saved Swindon again late on as Folarin got away from the Town defenders, but once he faced up with the QPR loanee, it was the goalkeeper who again came out on top.
HTFC starting XI: Mitchell, Thomson, Cornelius, Odoh, Folarin, O’Connor, McDonald, Muldoon, Ramsay, Dooley, Foulds.
HTFC substitutes: Thomas, Falkingham, Burrell, Sutton, Sivi, Horbury, Gibson.
STFC starting XI: Mahoney, Hutton, Blake-Tracy, Young, Khan, Kemp, Kokolo, Godwin-Malife, Kinsella, Minturn, Austin.
STFC substitutes: L. Ward, Brewitt, Genesini, Dworzak, Brown, Hart, Hubbard.
Attendance: 3,004
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