CHESTERFIELD boss Jack Lester voiced complaints about the late penalty award for Swindon Town and his enforced substitution of defender Sam Hird as his side were denied all three points at the County Ground.

While admitting his side had probably dodged a bullet when referee Lee Collins surprisingly declined to award a first-half penalty, with Spireites' keeper Joe Anyon holding down Town striker Kaiyne Woolery, Lester felt the official also got the injury-time award of a spot-kick to Luke Norris for an apparent tug by Scott Wiseman wrong.

Norris subsequently tucked away the set-piece to deny League Two's bottom side only a third win of the campaign and Lester said: "I don’t think Swindon should have had a penalty. The referee was waiting to even the game up, I felt.

“We got a big decision in the first half, so it was inevitable Swindon would get one in the second half.

“The performance was excellent. It was a great point that should have been three but that was due to things out of our control.

“To be the better team against Swindon who had won five on the bounce is good.''

Hird was forced off at the interval to be replaced by Laurence Maguire, after a first-half clash with Town striker Harry Smith which forced to home player off with a sizeable lump on the side of his head.

Hird continued until the interval before being withdrawn, a move prompted by the intervention off Town's medical staff, according to Lester.

“Sam Hird is fine. There was nothing wrong with him but their club official subbed him off.

“Our physio said he was fine and their club physio got involved and he had to come off, which is not ideal when subs being made are not our decisions.”

The Spireites' boss was however, full of praise for the two goals that threatened to hand his men a surprise result in Wiltshire, Kristian Dennis showing superb control to equaliser before Jack McCourt thumped home an astonishing second from more than 35 yards.

Lester added: “Denno’s (Dennis’) goal was a great finish and then Jak McCourt’s should have been the match-winner. “It deserved to be the match-winner. I’ve never scored a goal better than that.”