Swindon Town turned in a very disappointing display on the road as they were well-beaten in a 2-1 defeat to Port Vale.

After the break, George Byers crashed home a header from a corner and Brandon Cover dinked in the second.

But Will Wright curled home a lovely free kick in the dying embers for his second of the season.

Swindon’s undefeated away record comes to an end with a whimper as they still have just one win from ten competitive matches this season.

Mark Kennedy made two changes from the defeat against Carlisle United seven days ago as Harrison Minturn was handed his first start of the campaign, with Aaron Drinan starting his first game since the opening day as Jeff King and Paul Glatzel dropped out.

Vale had come back from two goals down against Accrington Stanley last weekend and picked up where they left off with bags of energy that Swindon were struggling to deal with.

Lorent Tolaj hit the side netting after latching onto a knockdown in the middle and Jayden Stockley had two headers go just wide of the uprights all inside ten minutes.

There were very few breaks from the onslaught as Town watched white shirts hurry around them. A 20th-minute corner from Thomas Sang swung out perfectly onto the head of Stockley and he sent the ball just wide of the post.

Then it was the turn of Kyle John down the left after he was cleverly slipped in down the side and his deep cross was desperately put behind by George Cox at the back post with Sang lurking behind him.

Playing on the Wembley of the North, Swindon may as well have been playing in a phone box for all the good it was doing them. They were able to have spells of possession where they briefly broke up Port Vale’s rhythm but it was all without penetration or precision.

Their best opening came in the 40th minute as Miguel Freckleton was able to squeeze a ball for Danny Butterworth, who had been a rare bright spot, to fire low across the face of goal but Tshimanga was not quite able to get the touch it needed for an unlikely lead.

But Kennedy went back into the changing rooms with a big job on his hands to turn around a display in which the hosts had had their number at every turn and would be very frustrated not to be in the lead.

The hope that something might turn after the break lasted all of about 100 seconds as Minturn lost out in a duel with Stockley under a high ball and stumbled, allowing the forward to have a go on the half volley and force Jack Bycroft to tip over the top.

From the resulting corner, John floated a ball deep to the far post onto a Vale head, but Bycroft got across and was able to make the save at his near post.

But early in the half, for the third time in the game, Butterworth drove clear on the counterattack and had the defenders turning scared towards their own goal. He found Drinan outside him, who drove a low shot across goal and beyond the dive of the goalkeeper but against the base of the post.

It was the other crossbar that was rattling just before the hour mark as John was left all alone in the corner to put a ball onto the head of Tolaj six yards out. He could only hit the woodwork before the ball came back down for Stockley, who also headed against the bar. Yet another huge escape for Swindon.

This was Kennedy’s cue to switch things around as Nnamdi Ofoborh replaced Minturn, moving Sobowale back into the back three and Joel Cotterill out to right wing-back.

Although it did not quite have the desired effect as minutes later after Bycroft had saved well to deny Byers, from the resulting corner the number seven was not to be denied again and as he powered through to nod into the back of the net and make the scoreline reflect what had been happening on the pitch.

A wonderful passing move ended with Drinan through on goal. He was just about able to get a toe on the ball to divert it beyond Connor Ripley but not with enough power to prevent a defender from getting back.

But after Swindon had offered little in the way of huff and puff, a defensive mix-up allowed Brandon Cover the ball on the edge of the area to chip home the second.

In the 89th minute, Wright curled in a free kick from the edge to become the first Town player to score twice in the league this season and ignite a slight hope of an unlikely comeback but it did not arrive.

PVFC starting XI:  Ripley, Heneghan, Hall, Byers, Garrity, Stockley, Tolaj, Sang, John, Cover, Hackford.

PVFC substitutes: Amos, Chislett, Curtis, Paton, Croasdale, Debrah, Richards.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Sobowale, Wright, Cotterill, Kilkenny, Freckleton, Tshimanga, Butterworth, Drinan, Cox, Minturn.

STFC substitutes: Barden, Ofoborh, Glatzel, McGurk, Cain, McGregor, Mitchell.

Attendance: 6,747 (565 away).