A late equaliser from Charlton Athletic substitute Andrew Shinnie rescued a point for the home side to the despair of Swindon Town who were agonisingly close to an impressive victory against the Addicks.
A cracking first-half saw Hallam Hope get the Town off to a flyer with a superb goal after five minutes, before Matty Palmer doubled the lead with his first League goal for Swindon this season just before half-time.
Charlton were a different side in the second-half and halved the deficit through Chuks Aneke’s third consecutive goal against the Town, before Shinnie beat the offside trap and Mark Travers to secure a late equaliser for the home side and also a second consecutive 2-2 draw between the sides.
Town fought right to the end but were unfortunately afforded a taste of their own medicine as Charlton did to Swindon at the Valley, what they did at the County Ground, pegging them back at the death.
First half:
Conor Masterson’s Swindon Town debut almost begun horribly, after the Queen’s Park Rangers loanee’s back-pass was read by Charlton debutant Ronnie Schwartz whose one-on-one effort beat Mark Travers but was saved by a sliding Dominic Thompson who toed the shot onto the post.
Town reacted to that fright in clinical and devastating fashion, punishing the Addicks by scoring the first goal of the game.
A slick free flowing move culminated with Hallam Hope receiving the ball on the left-hand side, driving past Adam Matthews on the inside and smashing a low shot through Ben Amos at the near post.
Both sides looked threatening in the attacking third of their respective halves and it was only last ditch defending from both defences which kept the game to a single goal.
Aneke’s strength and hold up play, combined with Liam Millar’s creativity were the most dangerous aspects of the home side’s play, and it was the latter which came closest to equalising the contest.
Town gave away a dangerous free-kick, just a few millimetres outside the left-hand side of the penalty area, and Millar sent a curling, dipping effort looping over Travers but striking the top of the cross bar.
The Reds, or on this day The Blues, soaked up the pressure and countered the home side on countless occasions.
Town took the lead in the first five minutes and doubled their lead in the last five minutes of the half.
Another slick counter-attack led to Hope and Jaiyesimi, exchanging some smooth passes and the latter finding Matty Palmer lurking on the area, who skipped past one defender and smashed the ball into the bottom left corner from 20 yards out.
Second-half:
Thompson begun the second-half in the exact same fashion he started the first, saving the Town’s skin with a brave last-ditch block.
An under-hit cross from the left-hand side of the Charlton box fooled everybody and rolled ominously across the six-yard box to substitute Andrew Shinnie and the left back threw himself into harm’s way and prevented a certain goal.
Charlton, boosted by the introduction of Shinnie, looked the more energetic and managed to halve the deficit on the 56th minute.
It was the familiar enemy, Chuks Aneke who scored his third consecutive goal against the Reds and dragged his side back into the contest.
A pin-point cross from Millar, found the charging Aneke at the back post and the experienced striker made no mistake with his close-range header.
Charlton were lifted by their route back into the contest and were horribly close to an equaliser.
Aneke, ever the thorn in the Town defence’s side, looked certain to score after he controlled a sharp driven cross on his knee eight yards from goal, but his half-volley from point blank range, shattered the cross bar, to the relief of the Town.
Town fell deeper and deeper protecting their lead but conjured out an opportunity to put the game to bed.
The tenacious Jaiyesimi had an excellent game playing with his back to goal and garnered an opportunity for himself by spinning off Jason Pearce and sweetly catching a half volley which only just sailed on the crossbar.
A few minutes later and the Town were punished.
Shinnie caused all sorts of chaos when he was introduced into the contest and it was him who levelled the match.
A wayward shot from Jake Forster-Caskey fell fortunately to Shinnie who somehow beating the offside trap and finished past Travers at close range.
Town, undeterred piled forward looking for a vital winner.
Smith controlled a strong pass perfectly and laid the ball of to Jordan Lyden, but the midfielders shot sailed just over.
Against the run of play Conor Washington had a golden chance through on goal to steal the points.
The substitute skipped past Travers and looked to have an empty net, but the keeper did just enough to force him out wide and Washington could only find the side netting.
It was a dramatic end to a pulsating affair and both teams had to settle for a share of the points.
