SWINDON Town drew 0-0 at home to Salford City on Saturday after playing the entirety of the second half with 10 men.

Referee Andy Woolmer sent Harry McKirdy off for two yellow cards – both in the first half – while cautioning seven other players, six of whom wore red.

The point saw Swindon move out of the relegation zone and up into 19th place, while also proving to be head coach Scott Lindsey’s first point since taking charge in the summer.

Goalkeeper Sol Brynn was Town’s man of the match, pulling off several excellent saves on his way to claiming a first clean sheet since his season-long move down from Middlesbrough.

Lindsey made two changes to the side that was hammered 3-0 away at Harrogate Town last weekend. Calls for Saidou Khan to make his first start were heard - he started in place of Jonny Williams while Tomi Adeloye made way for striker, Jacob Wakeling.

Chances were at a real premium in the opening 15 to 20 minutes, with only Conor McAleny managing a shot - his effort was blocked at source by Angus MacDonald.

McKirdy received the first of his two first-half yellow cards in the 14th minute for dissent – something that plagued the lively forward throughout his career and appears to show no signs of stopping any time soon.

Tyrese Shade and Mathieu Baudry followed McKirdy into the book as the extremely card-happy Woolmer continued to see his post-match paperwork pile up.

The first real chance of the game arrived for Salford in the 28th minute. Brandon Thomas-Asante slipped a through-ball into the path of Callum Hendry from midfield, and the latter turned back inside MacDonald before laying off for McAleny to shoot first time from around the edge of the box. Luckily for Town, the Salford midfielder dragged his shot a couple of yards wide of Brynn's right-hand post.

After Ben Gladwin and McAleny had wasted good chances for either side, the turning point of the afternoon arrived shortly before the break.

McKirdy bounced around a couple of Salford challenges in midfield, only for his momentum to take the striker into a visiting defender as they looked to clear. Referee Woolmer decided the collision warranted a second yellow card, and Town were reduced to 10 men for the second half.

Wakeling saw strong claims for a penalty waved away at the start of the second half, and substitute Ronan Darcy dragged a shot narrowly wide from outside the box moments later.

Town’s mini resurgence continued as Wakeling nodded a yard or two wide from Remeao Hutton’s right-wing cross.

As the hour mark came and went, man of the match Brynn produced a wonderful save to deny Hendry. A deep cross from the Salford right sailed over everyone except for Hendry. The City man did the right thing by volleying into the ground and towards the top corner, but Brynn leapt away to his left to turn the ball over.

Up the other end, Tom King's poor clearance fell straight to Gladwin just outside the box, but his connection on an attempted first-time effort also missed the middle and Richard Nartey headed the ball just past his own post.

Moments later, substitute Tom Clayton shovelled a decent effort towards goal which King poked over.

Inside the final 10 minutes, where Swindon had opted to sit in and try to hold onto a point, Salford missed a glorious chance to take the lead. Hendry clipped a ball over the top for Thomas-Asante to latch onto after he'd broken the offside trap, but a poor touch saw him fall off balance and the shot was a really poor one straight into Brynn's grateful arms.

The home team barely ventured into Salford’s half thereafter, but Neil Wood’s men were unable to create any further meaningful chances.

Only a speculative volley deep into added time pushed Brynn’s heart-rate above 60, and Town saw the game out for their first point of the new League Two season.

STFC starting XI: Brynn, Hutton, Reed, Baudry, Gladwin, McKirdy, MacDonald (C), Khan, Wakeling, Shade, Brennan.

SUBS: Clayton, Williams, Adeloye, Darcy, Ward, Aguiar, Harries.

SCFC starting XI: King, Touray, Lowe, Watt, Watson, Hendry, Thomas-Asante, McAleny, Bolton, Nartey, Vassell.

SUBS: Smith, Berkoe, Leak, Sargent, Torrance, O'Brien, Dackers.

ATTENDANCE: 9,158 (125)