VETERAN striker Marc Richards nodded home an 86th-minute equaliser as Swindon Town rescued a point from a hugely underwhelming performance against Crawley Town this afternoon.

Richards, introduced as a second-half substitute, got on the end of a Kyle Knoyle cross to find the corner of the net and keep Town’s League Two play-off hopes just about on the rails.

Crawley skipper Jimmy Smith had volleyed home a spectacular opener on 24 minutes at the Checkatrade,com Stadium and the home side appeared to be heading towards victory until Richards came to the aid of Phil Brown’s side.

Town remain ninth, three points off the play-off positions, but will know that the standard of performance will have to increase dramatically if their ambitions are to be realised this season after turning in a display largely devoid of quality.

Brown made one change to the starting line-up, with Kaiyne Woolery coming in for Marc Richards, who dropped to the bench, where he was joined by the returning Olly Lancashire.

Veteran Matt Taylor captained the side, while recently-signed defender Ryan McGivern was also named among the substitutes.

A slippery playing surface hardly made it easy for either side during the opening stages, but Town at least started off with promise, Kyle Knoyle offering himself down the right side as they pressed forward.

Indeed, the visitors went close to scoring inside the opening two minutes as Luke Norris found Woolery down the right and after the ball had been semi-cleared, Taylor directed a miss-hit shot goalwards where Josh Yorwerth headed clear from under his own bar.

Woolery then delivered a sharp effort on the half-turn after James Dunne’s lofted through-ball, with Crawley having yet to find any sort of rhythm, Mark Randall advancing but firing tamely wide from outside the area.

Just after the 10-minute mark though, Town suffered a blow as Norris went down clutching his troublesome left shoulder. The stretcher was called for and the big striker departed.

For the remainder of the half it appeared as though Town’s attacking thrust had gone with him.

Taylor lofted a couple of free kicks to the far post, which Crawley largely dealt with without incident before Woolery’s weaving run ended with him being dispossessed just inside the penalty area.

Mullin, who had been summoned from the bench to replace Norris, cut in from the right but ballooned a left-foot drive miles high and wide but as the Town attacking threat appeared to fizzle out, Crawley started to come into the contest.

Then, just after the midway point of the half, the home side grabbed the lead with what was, from a Town point of view, a very poor goal.

The visitors’ midfield and defence performed a passable impression of statues as a throw-in from the right was controlled on his chest by home skipper Jimmy Smith on the right edge of the penalty area. Smith took a look up and powered a looping volley beyond Stuart Moore in at the far post.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, the hosts stepped matters up a gear, without offering substantial threat to Moore’s goal but at the other end, Town’s forward momentum had largely evaporated, with Woolery and Keshi Anderson unable to get any change out of the home back four.

Worryingly, the Town midfield also appeared to go missing at certain points, with Smith and Bulman largely pulling the strings.

Such was the space on offer that Karlan Ahearne-Grant was allowed time to advance, then turn and swerve a shot towards the far post that Moore parried clear before the referee Dean Whitestone called a halt to first-half proceedings.

Town needed a bright start to the second period and they made one, Woolery firing an early, although admittedly weak, shot straight at home keeper Glenn Morris before the Crawley number one grabbed Mullin’s tame header from a corner at the second attempt.

Yet the home side should have doubled their lead on 51 minutes as Town were pressured into a mistake at the back.

A throw-in infield forced Purkiss to knock the ball back to Moore. He hurriedly found Menayese who, under pressure from Panutche Camara, lost possession, Crawley advanced and Randall curled a shot on to the post from 15 yards.

Both sides made changes, Richards coming on for Dunne for Town and going up top as Mullin dropped to the left of midfield and Taylor moved into the middle.

Yet the visitors were nearly the architects of their own downfall again as Ben Purkiss tried to shepherd the ball back to Moore under pressure and Ahearne-Grant was allowed to steal in and get a shot off that Menayese did well to get a block to.

Still, there was more purpose about the away side now and the introduction of Donal McDermott also appearaed to inject urgency.

Anderson’s surging run was halted by a fine tackle from Yorwerth before the visitors’ best chance of the game arrived, Ollie Banks getting to a loose ball 15 yards out but seeing his fierce drive blocked, Mullin’s follow up heading wide.

Crawley appeared to be seeing the game out without incident before veteran goal poacher Richards delivered the leveller on 86 minutes.

The home side didn’t fully deal with a Taylor free kick and when McDermott lofted the ball back in, Knoyle was free on the right to fink a clever cross into the centre where Richards strained every sinew to get his head to it and guide it into the far corner.

Suddenly it was Crawley feeling the nerves as Town went hunting an unlikely – and probably undeserved – winner.

Home keeper Morris almost comically misjudged a hopeful McDermott cross into the box before the home side scrambled away a Taylor free-kick after Woolery’s charge towards the penalty area had been unceremoniously halted.

But time ran out on Town. Whether that’s the case for their play-off ambitions, it remains to be seen.

CRAWLEY TOWN (4-2-3-1): Glenn Morris, Lewis Young, Mark Connolly, Josh Yorwerth, Aryan Tajbakash; Dannie Bulman (Josh Payne 63), Jimmy Smith (captain); Karlan Ahearne-Grant, Enzio Boldewijn, Mark Randall (Jordan Roberts 77); Panutche Camara.

Not used: Yusuf Mersin, Kaby Djalo, Josh Lelan, Joe McNerney, Moussa Sanoh.

SWINDON TOWN (4-4-2): Stuart Moore; Kyle Knoyle, Ben Purkiss, Rollin Menayese, Chris Hussey; Keshi Anderson (Donal McDermott 71), James Dunne (Marc Richards 60), Ollie Banks, Matt Taylor (captain); Luke Norris (Paul Mullin 12), Kaiyne Woolery.

Not used: Will Henry, Olly Lancashire, Ryan McGivern, Timi Elsnik.

Referee: Dean Whitestone.

Attendance: 5,008 (1,377 Town fans)