Swindon Town were held to a 1-1 draw despite a threatening attacking display, which was not enough to come away with three points against Salford on Saturday afternoon.
George McEachran scored his first goal for Swindon with a well-taken finish in the 82nd minute, but it was late heartbreak for Town after Salford substitute Callum Hendry equalised in added time which saw both sides came away with a point.
Gavin Gunning made two changes to the Newport starting line-up, with Zach Elbouzedi and George McEachran coming in for Charlie Austin and Jake Cain to start the latest home fixture for Town of 23/24.
The early proceedings saw Swindon create their first opportunity in the ninth minute when the ball was worked nicely from right to left, allowing full-back Williams Kokolo to drill the ball across the Salford penalty area. Unfortunately, there was no Town player to meet his dangerous cross as Town looked to push on.
A good block from Udoka Godwin-Malife in the 15th minute denied Salford's Kelly N'Mai with Swindon responding well to the away side's pressure.
Midway through the first half, Town's best chances came in a flurry, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy's effort initially well-blocked before Dawson Devoy met Zach Elbouzedi's following cross with a looping header that was clawed away in the nick of time by Salford's Alex Cairns.
Three more dangerous efforts came in from Elbouzedi shortly after, but Cairns unfortunately was able to prevent both from finding the back of the net.
Hepburn-Murphy had another chance to open the scoring with 10 minutes left to play in the first half, but frustratingly saw the effort blocked as Swindon looked to continue in a similarly threatening manner in the second half.
Half-time: Swindon 0 Salford 0
Swindon's first chance of the second half came just five minutes in, as Devoy looked to whip an effort from 25 yards that whistled past the far post, before seeing another effort four minutes later, go just wide of the mark.
Before the hour mark, more goalscoring chances came for Town, with Paul Glatzel denied twice after more impressive goalkeeping from Salford's Cairns to prevent Swindon from opening the scoring.
The game quietened down for the next 20 minutes, with Jack Bycroft forced into a good save from Matt Smith's header at the back just before the 80-minute mark.
But, after all their pressure, Swindon finally got their opener and it was a first colour in Town colours for midfielder George McEachran who did brilliantly to find the back of the net in the 82nd minute.
A throw from Williams Kokolo found Charlie Austin who showed great strength to trap the ball before he looked to release the midfielder through on goal, who showed great composure to slot the ball past the onrushing Alex Cairns.
Swindon looked to see the game out and ensure of the narrow victory, but a combination of extended added time and further delays due to a situation with one of the match officials, saw Salford able to create one more opportunity which they would regretably score from.
A ball from the right hand side caused confusion in the Swindon penalty area, and despite the best efforts, the ball fell to the Ammies' substitute Callum Hendry who fired past Bycroft at his near post and leave Town frustrated to not be coming away with all three points this afternoon.
Despite the result, Swindon will take confidence in the attacking threat they posed for the majority of the game, as they now look to Tuesday night's trip to Gillingham in their latest upcoming league fixture.
Swindon Town: Bycroft, Blake-Tracy, McEachran, Elbouzedi (McKirdy 65), Khan, Glatzel (Austin 65), Hepburn-Murphy (Drinan 65), Kokolo, Devoy, Godwin-Malife, McCarthy
Goal: McEachran 82
Subs not used: Brann, Johnson, Brewitt, Cain
Salford City: Cairns, John, Watt (C), Watson (Hendry 60), Tilt, Smith, McAleny (Lund 60), Garbutt (Ingram 71), N'Mai (Chesters 81), Vassell, Luamba (Morton 60)
Goal: Hendry 90+2
Subs not used: Torrance, Mariappa
Referee: Darren Drysdale
Attendance: 8,272 (80 away fans)
