SWINDON Town showed they have what it takes to respond to a little bit of adversity, emerging from their trip to Newport County on the day they lost two key players with a penalty shoot-out win.

Will Randall tucked away the decisive penalty after Tyrell Belford had saved Aaron Collins’ sudden death effort.

Town might have won it in normal time after Anton Rodgers gave them the lead in the first half with a wonderful effort from 25 yards, but Collins pegged them back in the second half, forcing a shoot-out.

With Michael Smith’s move to Barnsley confirmed shortly before kick-off and Nathan Byrne’s switch to Wolves only announced a few hours earlier, Swindon were forced to select a makeshift side and include a number of youngsters in a squad with just three substitutes, two fewer than the Football League Trophy permits.

Smith’s move in particular left Cooper particularly short-handed, the Geordie striker’s move was completed at a hotel in Newport only shortly before the deadline.

It left Swindon with no recognised central striker in their squad. Fabien Robert was picked as a nominal number nine.

That was far from the only change to the side that lost out to ShefFfield United on Saturday. James Brophy and Bradley Barry were both handed full debuts on the either side of defence, with Lee Marshall and Randall coming in to play alongside of Robert in a front three.

Kevin Stewart moved into midfield to accommodate for the missing Yaser Kasim, as Jordan Turnbull was restored to the centre of defence with Jordan Williams also in international duty.

With a near-empty Rodney Parade and two experimental sides, the game had the feeling of a pre-season friendly. Town, as ever, looked to push the ball around a lush green pitch with a side of small, technical players on show perhaps it was the only approach feasible.

It served the visitors well, though, and they certainly enjoyed the best of the early exchanges.

Randall had a big chance to mark his first start of the season with a goal after four minutes. Receiving the ball on the turn the youth product got the benefit of a lucky bounce of an Exiles defender and suddenly had a bit of room on the edge of the box. With time to pick his spot the youngster failed to do so, dragging his shot wide of Rhys Taylor’s right-hand post.

For the next 15 minutes very little happened, as the two sides rather cancelled each other out. Swindon were able to control the ball with reasonable comfort which allowed the nerves of their young side to settle.

The were given an even greater measure of control just before the 20-minute mark with Rodgers, rapidly becoming one of the team’s more reliable members, giving Town the lead.

The former Brighton man has already scored some lovely goals in his Swindon career, but this was right up there. Marshall and Drissa Traore linked up nicely on the edge of the box and the latter laid the ball off to Rodgers who found the top corner with his instep from 25 yards out.

Town were certainly the better of the sides, Newport struggled for any fluency and were giving a working example of why they find themselves in such a dire position in League Two already.

In Robert the Robins had the game’s premier player. Asked to plough a lone furrow through the middle, he was popping up all over the place and causing trouble for the Exiles defence.

Traore was also enjoying the run of Rodney Parade, excellent in his defensive shielding he also threatened to provide an attacking force. One particular instance saw him nick the ball as Newport tried to play out from the back. Breaking into the box the Ivorian looked to have worked some space with a nice bit of trickery, but skewed his shot wide.

Despite more than 10 minutes remaining on the clock for the first half little else happened as Swindon kept the League Two side at arm’s length.

At the start of the second half it was perhaps a bit too easy for Town as they stroked the ball around. They seemed to have become a bit complacent when Barry splayed a loose pass into the path of Lenell John-Lewis who was bearing down on goal.

Turnbull had to race back and ended up bringing down the big striker on the edge of the box, for which he was booked. Fortunately, Scott Barrow wasted the resulting free-kick.

That seemed to spark the away side back out of their sleepy spell. Stewart, who had a quiet first half, burst into life with a strong drive to the byline and from his cutback Robert should have added a second for Swindon. However, his first-time shot was too close to Taylor who saved smartly.

Then from nowhere Newport got a leveller.

A neat move down the right increased in danger when a lovely touch from Seth Nana Twumasi caused Brophy to slip, allowing the winger to square the ball for substitute Collins to place past Belford.

Brophy might have thought he atoned for his moment of misfortune as he made a nippy drive into the box and was felled, only for referee Kevin Johnson to book him for simulation instead.

After their goal, County came on strongly as they looked to cause take advantage of a tiring young Town side. Pressing higher up the pitch they applied plenty of pressure, but could not carve out a chance as the game drifted towards a shoot-out.

With the pressure on Town held their nerve. Rodgers, Robert, Turnbull, Branco, Brophy and Barry all scored. When Collins missed Randall kept his head to send Swindon through to the next round.