Will Wright’s fierce second-half strike saw Swindon Town come away with a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw away at Chesterfield in their opening game.

Armando Dobra latched onto some indecision at the back to give Chesterfield a deserved lead at the break as it was all Swindon could do to keep the score to just one.

Town seemed to find some of those answers after the break and were rewarded with a wonderful strike from Wright.

The draw does mean that Swindon are winless in their last three opening games and in five against the Spireites, but it was a well-won point against the title favourites.

Mark Kennedy named a side that saw only two players survive from the last game of last season, with Jack Bycroft and Nnamdi Ofoborh keeping their places. Nine new signings made their debuts in the 352 system that we have gotten accustomed to during pre-season.

This was not your grandad’s Swindon team right from the off, or rather quite the overhaul from the last five years. After winning the toss, the ball was immediately played long to Harry Smith to get a flick on. Patience and more often stodge was replaced by haste and harrying.

On their return to the EFL, Chesterfield seemed to have the same energy about them but bordering on overzealousness. They zipped the ball around almost too quickly for themselves and some early openings out wide were spurned into the stand behind Jack Bycroft’s goal.

The plan for the hosts was clear, the Will Grigg inferno might not be as hot as it once was but he was running with his hair on fire. He was looking to be released either side of Grant Hall whenever the opportunity presented itself.

That bore fruit after 15 minutes with a cute ball through in the box, Grigg got his shot off and whilst Bycroft was in the way, he could only parry and before he could dive on the ball, Dobra was there to snaffle it up as he turned home.

The home fans were pretty up for it anyway, but the dial went beyond 11 with the goal. There were blue shirts everywhere you looked and Swindon looked to be stumbling after taking the shot. Ollie Banks had a go from outside the area and a strong block was needed to turn it behind for a corner.

Swindon could stay in their shape and make it tough for chances to be created against them but the threat at the other end was minimal. Nnamdi Ofoborh’s cross that Ollie Clarke nodded into the gloves of Ryan Boot was the only real chance in the opening 30 minutes. The hosts had the territory but the game was there if Kennedy could find a way to reliably turn defence into attack.

Their best chance of the half came when Wright stepped up to send a deep cross onto the head of Smith. He towered over Chey Dunkley and looped it back across the goal but narrowly over the crossbar.

Bycroft managed to make up for the goal as after 37 minutes Grigg found space down the left side of the box and drilled a shot across goal that the 22-year-old sprung across his line to beat away.

At the break the damage was minimal but Kennedy had a big job to do to figure out how to cope with a well-drilled Chesterfield side who had them at arm’s length.

There was more energy about Swindon straight out of the traps in the second half as they managed to find the spaces and get up the pitch with regularity in a way they hadn’t in the first half.

This started out with a tame opportunity as Ofoborh and Wright both sent in crosses in quick succession that were well dealt with. But Swindon kept coming and soon Rosaire Longelo’s clipped cross found the head of Clarke that went narrowly wide.

The best of this early flurry came as Jeff King chopped onto his left foot and sent a ball to the back post. Longelo got there and tried to divert the ball into the path of Smith, but he couldn’t quite get there.

After Paul Glatzel and Tunmise Sobowale had come, the moment arrived. Wright skipped into midfield as he had done well all game and thought “Why not?” unleashing a thunderous strike into the top corner.

Smith had the chance to score an equally outrageous goal not long after as he took a long ball down on his chest, swivelled, but shot wide of the mark.

The home side had more of the ball as the night sky rolled over the ground, but Kennedy used his substitutions and some gamesmanship well. Jake Cain added further legs to the forward line and Swindon worked themselves over the line.

CFC starting XI: Boot, Tanton, Naylor, Dunkley, Gordon, Banks, Oldaker, Jacobs, Dobra, Colclough, Grigg.

CFC substitutes: Daley-Campbell, Williams, Akinola, Mandeville, Berry, Drummond, Quigley.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Wright, Ofoborh, Cotterill, Clarke, Smith, Longelo, King, Freckleton, Drinan, Hall.

STFC substitutes: Evans, Sobowale, Glatzel, Cain, Minturn, Kirkman, Mitchell.

Attendance: 9,262 (859 away).