SWINDON Town threw away a one-goal lead late on as Crewe Alexandra beat the Robins 2-1 at Mornflake Stadium in League Two on Saturday.

In Swindon’s final away game of a disappointing campaign, Jody Morris’ men were in front at the break through Rushian Hepburn-Murphy’s solo run and finish.

But despite very little pressure in the preceding 82 minutes, Crewe maintained their outstanding recent home form to turn the game on its head.

Ex-Town midfielder Conor Thomas equalised after pouncing on a Brynn mistake, and Joel Tabiner delicately flicked home in the dying embers to pile more misery on a stagnant Swindon side.

Town made one change to the side which started Tuesday night's 1-0 defeat to Stevenage. Harrison Minturn replaced the injured Tom Brewitt and won just his third league start of the season.

Charlie Austin had to make do with a spot on the bench alongside the youthful duo of Jaxon Brown and Abu Kanu.

Crewe's 18-year-old goalkeeper Tom Booth was handed his first home start and just his second senior Alex appearance. Villain of the return leg, Dan Agyei was also in the initial XI for the hosts, as was former Town midfielder Thomas.

Swindon produced the first shot on target of the game, and it arrived inside the first minute. The ball was passed between many of the visiting players before George McEachran tested the young stopper with a low shot which was gratefully clung on to at the second attempt.

Following a couple of nearly moments for either side, Town remarkably struck the bar twice in a matter of seconds. First, Jake Cain - who appeared to be shaping up to cross - slammed a free-kick from 30 yards off the right side of the bar. The ball came back out to the crowd of players where Jacob Wakeling then also struck an almost identical spot with his volley.

A combination of tidy defending and clumsy attacking play resulted in very few chances until just before half-time, when Swindon took the lead.

Hepburn-Murphy, who had been highly ineffectual in the first half before this moment, rolled his man in midfield and drove straight through the middle before turning down options left and right to shoot himself. The shot took a heavy deflection on the way through, but the strike was still good enough to squirm past Booth and into the top right corner.

In a more lively start to the second half, Courtney Baker-Richardson failed to properly test Sol Brynn in the Town goal once a low cross from Long found its way to him 12 yards out. Moments later, Long crashed a long-range strike towards the top left corner that Brynn nonchalantly plucked out of the air.

Around the hour mark, Swindon created a couple of notable chances but failed to take either. The first saw substitute Tyrese Shade – on for Hepburn-Murphy – backheel a through ball into Luke Jephcott’s path, but the striker’s shot was comfortable enough for Booth to turn out.

A few minutes later, Shade skipped away from his man in a central position but could only crash his long-range shot down the middle of Booth’s goal, and the young ‘keeper firmly beat the attempt away.

After a flurry of substitutes for both teams, Crewe equalised out of almost nowhere inside the final 10 minutes. Substitute Lachlan Brook hammered a left-footed shot at Brynn from range, and the Town stopper spilled it out in front of him. Ex-Town man Thomas was following up and tapped home from eight yards out.

And with four minutes of normal time to play, Town threw any kind of reward for their efforts away. Crewe maintained a mild moment of pressure in the final third from which substitute Callum Ainley whipped in a lovely left-footed cross towards the near post. Tabiner reached it and delicately flicked in across Brynn with the outside of his right boot to spark jubilant scenes in the home stands.

The closest Swindon came inside seven minutes of added time was a wildly off-target effort from Remeao Hutton, and Morris’ men left Crewe empty-handed.

CAFC starting XI: Booth, Mellor, McDonald (c), Long, Thomas, Baker-Richardson, Agyei, O'Riordan, Finnigan, Finney, Tabiner.

CAFC substitutes: Richards, Williams, Offord, Ainley, Griffiths, Brook, Nevitt.

STFC starting XI: Brynn, Hutton, Minturn, Clayton, Lavinier, Cain, Khan (c), McEachran, Hepburn-Murphy, Jephcott, Wakeling.

STFC substitutes: Brann, Brown, Kanu, Kadji, Darcy, Austin, Shade.

Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo

Attendance: 4,694 (425)