AN INTELLIGENT, plucky performance from a patched-up Swindon Town failed to yield any reward as Luke Williams’ side were edged out at Port Vale tonight.

Top-scorer Nicky Ajose, as well as central defenders Jordan Turnbull and Raphael Branco, were all ruled out, forcing Williams into fielding an inexperienced and experimental line-up, with Town only including six players, including 16-year-old Jordan Young, on their substitutes' bench.

After sustaining a head injury in the weekend’s loss against Barnsley, Ajose was sidelined as Swindon adhered to concussion protocol, whilst Turnbull and Branco were struggling with hamstring and groin problems respectively.

But the visitors were bright and inventive throughout at Vale Park, seemingly doing everything but find the back of the net against a nervy, standoffish Valiants outfit.

If Swindon’s Staffordshire assignment didn’t already seem an uphill struggle, then the outlook didn’t look any brighter as Vale took the lead with just six minutes on the clock.

Two white shirts collided at the far post as they attempted to connect with an inswinging corner kick but as they lay prone on the ground, Louis Dodds hooked back into the danger zone from the right of the goal, allowing full-back Carl Dickinson to nod home and make it 1-0.

As Town set about steadying their ship and attempting to find a way back into the game, Fabien Robert and Hylton linked up to feed Bradley Barry down the right flank but Jonathan Obika couldn’t rise high enough to get his resultant header on target, with the Swindon striker nodding high over the bar.

In the 18th minute, the Valiants came within a whisker of doubling their lead as Dodds seized on the ball and motored forward before cracking a stunning looping strike from range, which zipped through the air and left Lawrence Vigouroux stranded as it pinged against the inside of the post.

Vale’s Ajay Leitch-Smith was followed up but the Swindon stopper burst into life after his momentary spell as a helpless spectator and got down well to save with his legs.

Just before the half-hour mark, the visitors finally enjoyed a confidence-boosting spell of possession, which ended with the lively Robert forcing home goalie Jak Alnwick into a scramble as he flashed an effort narrowly wide from just outside the area.

Shortly afterwards, Town created their best opportunity of the night so far as Yaser Kasim dummied over Anton Rodgers’ low pass and Obika controlled the ball before turning and letting fly at goal, only for Alnwick to gather confidently.

As the clock ticked down to half-time, Town belied their mini injury crisis and headed into the break in the ascendancy but still trailing to that early Dickinson header.

Five minutes into the second period, Robert attempted to outdo Dodds in the competition for the most spectacular strike of the evening as he audaciously volleyed goalwards from Barry’s knock inside but the Frenchman’s effort flew well over the Vale crossbar.

But all of a sudden, Swindon were forced to navigate a clutch of hairy moments, with Vigouroux spilling a shot from Kennedy before somehow scrambling the ball behind as Richard Duffy attempted to turn home the rebound.

From the resultant corner, another Vigouorux miscue almost saw the ball fall to Dickinson before Thompson and Doughty were forced to put in vital challenges to rob possession from Kennedy and Theo Robinson.

Just past the hour mark, Town boss Williams opted to send teenager Young out into the fray, with the forward, who turned down a move to Chelsea back in 2011, becoming Swindon’s fourth-youngest debutant of all time.

Young and fellow academy product Lee Marshall flitted about the pitch as Swindon continued to probe and pester the Valiants’ back line, with the wily Robert appearing to carry the visitors’ best chances of turning the dominance into an equaliser.

But despite reams of pressure, the visitors couldn’t find a way to salvage something, with JJ Hooper denied the chance to grab a second goal for Vale as he was superbly denied by Vigouroux.

SWINDON TOWN: Lawrence Vigouroux, Bradley Barry, Nathan Thompson (C), Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, Michael Doughty, Yaser Kasim, Anton Rodgers, Jeremy Balmy (Lee Marshall 61), Fabien Robert, Jonathan Obika, Jermaine Hylton (Jordan Young 61).

Subs not used: Tyrell Belford, James Brophy, Ellis Iandolo, Josh Cooke.

Attendance: 3256 (177 away fans)