Swindon - in EPL 28 years ago, now close to the end game

Hope they hang on in there.
Funny story. They had a player called Hamon fromJersey in their EPL season.
His dad was a judge and he suspended Court early on a Friday afternoon as he had a plane to catch to go and watch his son play their first game!!!
 
I remember when my uncle's family moved there in the 70s he said Swindon people were into speedway rather than football. I don't know if speedway still takes place there.
I think the speedway had run its course by my time but it was still spoken about and featured in the papers.

Greyhound racing was a big thing.

Mark Walters played for them while I was there - I saw him a few times, he was still bamboozling opponents with that double shuffle well into his 30s!
 
It's always sad to hear about Clubs, especially smaller Clubs, who have long been the fabric of British football going through troubled times.
Anyone of my vintage, when you mention Swindon thinks of the charismatic Don Rogers, he of the Pancho Villa moustache, who scored those goals to beat Arsenal in the League Cup back in the day.
The first thought that came into my head reading the OP was “Don Rogers”.
 
My dads last ever match Bury 5 Swindon 0
Hope to hell they do not suffer what we did when Bury bit the dust
 
I remember them beating Arsenal in the 1969 league cup final on a very muddy Wembley pitch back in the black and white years with the great Brian Moore commentating.
 
They haven’t been in premier league for 27 year but still sad to see. Hopefully they stay afloat.
We all know that worry and heart ache. I was full of the beer last night but I vaguely remember saying to the Mrs, if someone said to me it's either you or your club, I'd take a Bullet. Now I'm sober .... I still stand by that!
 
There's a really good Channel 4 documentary about them which is filmed during their promotion season. Hoddle got them promoted and then quits for the Chelsea job which seems to knock the entire club for six that summer.

Never seen this before. So many crazy people, not least of all Hoddle and his chairman. Not to mention Gorman, who seems fairly scary.

And Davie Mitchell wearing an extraordinarily bad shirt.
 
Last edited:
Famous for Don Rogers, John Trollope and XTC. Hope they survive, saw Everton there in FA Cup January 1977 when I was down there on a course.
 
Famous for Don Rogers, John Trollope and XTC. Hope they survive, saw Everton there in FA Cup January 1977 when I was down there on a course.
My uncle played against Swindon that season for Hitchin Town. Think they held them to a draw then a replay in 2nd leg.

Always sticks in my mind as it was furthest my uncle got in the FA Cup whilst playing non-league down south for teams like Hitchin, Dulwich Hamlet and Letchworth Town.

Sure he mentioned Don Rogers played against him but was at tail end of his career. And Fulham would have been up next had they beaten Swindon, complete with Moore, Marsh and Best playing which would have been the pinnacle for him for sure
 
Last edited:
It's crazy to see clubs with massive supports or great history and in some cases both are in the doldrums, both Sheffield clubs, Sunderland, Middlesboro, Ipswich town, Nottingham forest and Derby to name just a few.
 
It's crazy to see clubs with massive supports or great history and in some cases both are in the doldrums, both Sheffield clubs, Sunderland, Middlesboro, Ipswich town, Nottingham forest and Derby to name just a few.

Notts County in the fifth tier of English football.
 
Moves to Swindon in 89 and apart from a few years in my 20s I've lived here ever since. Used to climb a big tree behind the away stand to watch games as a kid. Can't say I remember a time when there wasn't some sort of issue going on with the club, but will be sad to see them go if they were to go under
 
Now that the deal was finalized to sell the team today they will hopefully get themselves back in order for the upcoming season. It will be interesting to follow along in their recovery.
 
Live in Swindon & attend the odd game. will be a tragedy for the area
I haven't read the rest of the thread but hardly a tragedy.

Aside from London, the whole of the South of England is a footballing wilderness. If you go outside of the M25 the 'big' teams are Brighton, Southampton, Luton Town, Wycombe, Oxford United then Swindon.

Clearly, no one gives a %^*&.
 
I haven't read the rest of the thread but hardly a tragedy.

Aside from London, the whole of the South of England is a footballing wilderness. If you go outside of the M25 the 'big' teams are Brighton, Southampton, Luton Town, Wycombe, Oxford United then Swindon.

Clearly, no one gives a %^*&.

Portsmouth is a big club imo.
 
I haven't read the rest of the thread but hardly a tragedy.

Aside from London, the whole of the South of England is a footballing wilderness. If you go outside of the M25 the 'big' teams are Brighton, Southampton, Luton Town, Wycombe, Oxford United then Swindon.

Clearly, no one gives a %^*&.
I lot of people in the South outside of London support the London clubs and Man U/Liverpool instead of their local club.
 
Notts County in the fifth tier of English football.

I'll concede they have a very big average attendance for a non-league club (bigger than many SPL sides), but I'd argue they're a bit of an anomaly in being a historic club without being a historically big club. Need to have won more than 1 major trophy (in the 1800s at that).
 
You wonder where they might have been if Di canio hadn't thrown his toys out of the pram and left when he did. They were top of the league 7 games to go and ended up missing out on promotion to the championship in the play offs.
 
Back
Top