SWINDON Town avoided defeat in consecutive games for the first time all season after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Lincoln City on Tuesday night.

After twice taking the lead, once through Jordon Garrick and then again through Brett Pitman, Town dealt with what appeared to be an off-colour Imps side with aplomb and did have chances to win the game even.

Although they couldn’t take them, it was another valuable point on the board which saw Swindon move up to 19th courtesy of equalising goals from Jorge Grant – via the penalty spot – and Morgan Richards early in the second half.

John Sheridan made two changes for the trip to Lincolnshire. Paul Caddis and Christopher Missilou dropped out of the starting XI in place of Scott Twine and Akin Odimayo. Town set up in an unorthodox 4-3-3 with Dom Thompson as the left winger.

Meanwhile, seven-goal defender Lewis Montsma was handed a start for Michael Appleton’s side. The Imps man was the lone scorer when the pair met at the County Ground back in November.

While conceding early has often been Town’s vice this season, Sheridan’s men have not often scored within the first 10 minutes themselves. Yet at the LNER Stadium, Swindon went 1-0 up inside two minutes.

Thompson scampered down the left before crossing the ball into the middle and finding Garrick in the centre. The winger took one touch with his left before volleying into the corner with the same boot.

Lincoln responded with a couple of chances shortly after, though Joe Wollacott was more than a match for them both.

First, Conor McGrandles struck down the centre from distance before the Imps wasted a three-on-one opportunity shortly after.

In the 27th minute, Lincoln found their equaliser in fairly fortuitous fashion. Town skipper Dion Conroy accidentally tripped Tom Hopper in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot.

Grant stepped up and powerfully placed his penalty into the bottom right corner, with Wollacott diving the other way, for his 13th of the campaign.

With a little over five minutes until the break, Pitman hit the bar with a glorious chance for Swindon.

Town somehow broke three on two against Lincoln and Twine ended up slipping Pitman in through on goal. The 33-year-old took an absolute age with the chance though before clipping a left-footed shot off the bar and away.

Moments later, only a brilliant save from Wollacott denied Rogers from distance. The Lincoln man cut in past Palmer before unleashing a shot towards the far corner - at full stretch, the on-loan stopper reached out to his left to push it away.

There was to be one more goal before half-time though, and as a surprise to most inside the LNER Stadium, it went to Swindon.

Garrick did really well to close Palmer down as he dithered on the ball on his own goal line, and Garrick's outstretched leg saw the ball fall to Pitman six yards out.

The striker almost missed, but his side-footed effort found the opposite corner to the post it struck on its way in.

With almost the first action of the second half, Pitman very nearly scored again with a speculative strike from the halfway line, but Palmer just about turned it behind as he fumbled the wind-assisted long-range effort out for a corner.

Town were doing well to hold the Imps to long-range shots, but without looking particularly threatening, Lincoln pulled back level in the 58th minute.

Rogers ran onto a pass into him on the left wing before cutting onto his right and unleashing a powerful strike into the bottom left corner from 25 yards.

Wollacott might have felt he should have done better, but it was still a strike of some ferocity.

Town were not fazed by the equaliser and once again went on the attack. After former Lincoln man, Jack Payne was tripped, Twine whipped a shot over the wall and towards goal.

Palmer, who had not enjoyed the best of games, sprung away to his left to turn the ball behind for a corner. Minutes later, and it was Pitman’s turn to shoot from a dead-ball situation.

The strike was powerful, but straight at Palmer, and the stopper pushed it away from danger.

Both sides continued to hunt for a winner, and both sides had good chances to settle the tie late on. Substitute James Jones volleyed over after Town switched off from a short corner before Garrick had a shot blocked out for a corner in added time.

Ultimately though, Lincoln could not find a third path through the Town rear-guard, and Sheridan’s men escaped from Lincolnshire with a point.

Lincoln City starting XI: Palmer, Eyoma, Jackson, Montsma, Bramall, Grant, McGrandles, Johnson, Rogers, Scully, Hopper.

SUBS: Long, Poole, Sanders, Edun, Jones, Archibald, Roughan.

Swindon Town starting XI: Wollacott, Conroy, Grounds, Pitman, Twine, Garrick, Odimayo, Payne, Palmer, Thompson, Broadbent.

SUBS: Matthews, Caddis, Curran, Missilou, Hunt, Omotoye, Hope.