Swindon Town F.C.: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:19, 29 April 2011
 | ||||
| Full name | Swindon Town Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Robins, Town | |||
| Founded | 1879[1] | |||
| Ground | The County Ground Swindon | |||
| Capacity | 14,700 | |||
| Chairman | Jeremy Wray (interim) | |||
| Manager | Paul Bodin (interim) | |||
| League | League One | |||
| 2009–10 | League One, 5th (play-offs) | |||
|
| ||||
Swindon Town Football Club is a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. The club is presently managed by former player and current reserve and youth team coach Paul Bodin,[2] after Paul Hart was sacked in April 2011. Swindon play their home games at The County Ground which has a capacity of 14,700.
Since turning professional in 1894, the club has enjoyed periods of proud success, most notably during the period 1968–1970 when they won the 1969 League Cup (defeating Arsenal at Wembley Stadium) securing promotion to the Second Division. League Cup success earned the club its first invitations to European competitions, but they were not eligible to participate because they played in the then Third Division. So as compensation they were entered into the 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup and the 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup, with Swindon winning both. These wins were led by the club's talismanic winger Don Rogers. He has had the South Stand named after him from the 2007/08 season. The club's two best wins were 10 goals to 2 over Norwich City on 5 September 1908 and 10 goals to 1 over Farnham United Breweries in the season of 1925/26 but the club's worst loss was 10 goal to 1 down against Manchester City in 1930.
Swindon Town won promotion to the Premier League during the 1992-93 season, the only time the club has played in the top level of English football. Swindon was the second team to win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, beating Leicester City. This proved to be Swindon's only ever season in the top flight to date, in which they conceded 100 goals. However, based on all results during their time in the Premier League and Football League up to 2009/10, Swindon are ranked as the all-time 48th most successful English football club domestically.[3]
History
Early history
Swindon Town Football Club was founded by Reverend William Pitt of Liddington in 1879.[1] The team turned professional in 1894 and joined the Southern League which was founded in the same year.[1]
Swindon reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in the 1909-10 season, losing to eventual winners Newcastle United. Barnsley F.C. and Swindon were invited to compete for the Dubonnet Cup in 1910 at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris. The result was a 2�??1 victory for Swindon with Harold Fleming scoring both of the club's goals.
The following season, 1910-11, Swindon Town won the Southern League championship, earning them a Charity Shield match with the Football League champions Manchester United. This, the highest-scoring Charity Shield game to date, was played on 25 September 1911 at Stamford Bridge with Manchester United winning 8-4. Some of the proceeds of this game were later donated to the survivors of the Titanic.[4]
After The First War
Swindon entered the Football League in 1920 as a founding member of Division Three and defeated Luton Town 9–1 in their first game of the season. This result stands as a record for the club in League matches.
From the Post War Years till 1989/90
In 1969 Swindon beat Arsenal 3–1 to win the League Cup for the first and only time in the club's history.[5][6] As winners of the League Cup, Swindon were assured of a place in their first European competition: the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. However, the Football Association had previously agreed to inclusion criteria with the organizers which mandated that only League Cup winners from Division One would be able to take part. As the team were not eligible, the short lived Anglo-Italian competitions were created to give teams from lower divisions experience in Europe. The first of these, the 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup, was contested over two legs against Coppa Italia winners A.S. Roma. Swindon won 5–2, with the scorer of two goals in the League Cup final - Don Rogers - scoring once and new acquisition Arthur Horsfield acquiring his first hat-trick for the club.[7] The team then went on to win the 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup competition in a tournament beset by hooliganism. The final against S.S.C. Napoli was abandoned after 79 minutes following pitch invasions and a missile barrage, with teargas being employed to allow the teams to return to the dressing room.[8]
Following management changes, Swindon had a long unsuccessful period culminating in them being relegated in 1982 to the Fourth Division, the lowest professional Football League at the time. They were eventually promoted as champions in 1986 with the club achieving a Football League record of 102 points, the second club to score over 100 points in a season, York City having totalled 101 two years earlier.[9] A year later they won the Third Division play-offs to achieve a second successive promotion.[10] Promotion campaign Manager Lou Macari left in 1989 to take charge of West Ham United with veteran midfielder, and former Argentine international, Ossie Ardiles replacing him. In his first season Swindon were Second Division play-off winners,[11] but the club later admitted 36 charges of breaching league rules, 35 due to illegal payments made to players, and were relegated to the Third Division — giving Sunderland promotion to the First Division and Tranmere Rovers to the Second Division. The scandal saw then chairman Brian Hillier being given a six-month prison sentence and chief accountant Vince Farrar being put on probation. A later appeal saw Swindon Town being allowed to stay in the Second Division.[12]
Since 1990
Ardiles remained in charge until March 1991, when he departed to Newcastle United and was succeeded by new player-manager Glenn Hoddle.
Swindon progressed well during the 1991–92 season, Glenn Hoddle's first full season as manager, and just missed out on the Second Division play-offs, having briefly led the table in the autumn. A year later they beat Leicester City 4–3 in the new Football League Division One play-off final to achieve promotion to the FA Premier League — bringing top-division football to the club for the first time.[13]
Hoddle moved to Chelsea before the 1993-94 Premier League season began, and was replaced by assistant John Gorman, but Swindon never adjusted to the pace of Premier League football.[14] They were relegated after recording only five wins and conceding 100 goals, and have never returned to this level — the latter record has yet to be broken. One of the few successes of the season was that they scored the most goals (4) past champions Manchester United in the league that season. [1]
The following year, Swindon were relegated for the second consecutive time for an administration offence and slipped into Division Two. Gorman had been sacked as manager in November 1994, and although his successor, player-manager Steve McMahon, was unable to avoid relegation he did take Swindon to the semi-finals of the League Cup.[15]
McMahon succeeded in getting Swindon back into Division One after avoiding expulsion from the FA on his first attempt, as they won the Division Two championship in 1996.[16] McMahon remained as manager until September 1998, when he left by mutual consent after Swindon had lost 5 of the 9 opening games of the 1998–99 season. The club has then had eight managers in nearly eight years (Andy King was appointed twice), during which time they were relegated back into Division Two. They finished 5th in the 2003–04 season but failed in the promotion play-off stage and stayed in the same league, now renamed League One.
Caretaker manager Iffy Onuora was unable to save Swindon from relegation to League Two in 2006.[17] Their relegation meant that they became the first ever former Premier League team to be relegated to the lowest Football League division. Dennis Wise agreed to become the new Swindon Town manager in May 2006 following the relegation, with Gustavo Poyet joining the coaching staff.[18] The pair left in October when it was announced that they had agreed to move to Leeds United. Adrian Williams and Barry Hunter took temporary charge until Paul Sturrock was appointed on 7 November. Sturrock guided Swindon to promotion back to League One in his first season with the club, earning the third automatic promotion place in a 1–1 draw with Walsall in the last game of the 2006–07 season.[19]
The club has been beset by financial difficulties throughout its history, having been placed into administration twice[20] and also twice fought off winding-up orders from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise over unpaid tax-bills.[21] The board currently have to make yearly payments of £100,000 to creditors (2% of the yearly turnover),[22] and only managed to begin the 2006–07 season after sourcing £500,000 to pay for players' wages.[22] The club is campaigning for the redevelopment of the County Ground to help finance the team[23] and a takeover bid by a Fans' Consortium was launched in December 2005.[24] In 2008 Swindon Town was taken over by a consortium fronted by local businessman Andrew fitton along with Jeremy Wray who appointed Maurice Malpas as the new manager. The consortium planned to clear all club debts by the end of the 2007/08 season.
Maurice Malpas was under severe pressure as Swindon started the 2008-09 campaign badly, after winning the first match at home against Tranmere Rovers 3-1, Swindon lost five consecutive matches at home (the first time this had happened since 2000) and there were several calls for Malpas to be replaced.[25]
Malpas was sacked on 14 November 2008, with David Byrne taking over temporarily. Danny Wilson was unveiled as the new manager on 26 December 2008.[26] Wilson helped maintain Swindon's League One status and finished in 15th position, though only 4 points from the relegation zone in his first season in charge. The 2009-10 season started positively with the club maintaining a play-off position going into the new year with the team at one point in second place with automatic promotion in their own hands. However, a slight slip in form towards the end of the season seen Swindon finish 5th but still ended the season with a semi-final play-off place against Charlton Athletic. Swindon won the tie on penalties and went on to play in the Football League One play-offs final against Millwall at Wembley for a place in the Football League Championship. However, they lost 1-0 in what was their 1st defeat in 4 appearances at Wembley. Before the start of the season, many pundits tipped Swindon for relegation. After losing the final Swindon lost their top scorer Billy Paynter who joined Leeds United on a free transfer. During the close season of 2010 many Bookmakers had Swindon as one of the favourites for promotion to the nPower championship. But after an unconssistent season, in which Danny Wilson resigned, on 25th April 2011 Swindon were relegated to Npower League 2 after losing 3-1 to Sheffield Wednesday FC. Paul Hart was sacked, replaced for the last two games of the season by former player and current reserve and youth team coach Paul Bodin.[2]
Crest
Swindon Town have used at least five different kit badges since their inception.[27] The original badge depicted a Robin inside a shield with the letters STFC in the four corners, this changed to the "Steam Train" badge which was a coat of arms for the club based heavily on the coat of arms used by the local council.[28] The "Steam Train" badge was in the form of a traditional shield, bisected with the club's name, a train (as Swindon is a Railway town), a football and with a Robin sitting on top. Beneath the shield was a motto on a scroll - 'Salubritas et Industria' - meaning 'health and industry'.[28] This motto is also that of the town of Swindon itself.[29]
During the 1970s the club changed the badge to one referred to as the "ST arrow" or "traffic sign" badge.[30] This was circular and had the letters 'S' and 'T' interlocked, which both ends of the letter 'S' being made into an arrow. Also shown was a simple football and the club name.[28]
Following the 1985–86 season, the "Steam Train" badge was re-introduced onto the kits. The crest was re-styled and the text "Division Four Champions 1985/1986" replaced the motto.[28]
A diamond shaped crest for Swindon Town was introduced at the beginning of the 1991–92 season following a series of financial problems for the club. The idea behind the new crest was to give the club a new fresh image.
- "The 'travelling' football represents the club that is looking to the future with successful progress. The diamond shape clearly has the letter 'S' (for Swindon) running through it, while a green section was also introduced to match a new 'green trim' on the team's home (red and white) shirts."[28]
On 5 April 2007 the club unveiled plans to change the badge claiming the diamond badge was correct for the time but did not represent or show any of the clubs heritage or history.[31] Swindon offered fans the chance to vote on-line for the three new choices, which were all similar to the original steam train design, and a fourth option of keeping the 1991 design.
On 23 April 2007, it was announced that option three of the logo vote was the winner of the poll (it can be seen on the far right of the picture).[32] Winning the vote with 68 per cent in favour, the new badge includes the club name, a Robin, a train - the rail industry being an important part of the Town's heritage - a football, and re-introduces the town's motto - 'Salubritas et Industria'. It has been in use since the beginning of the 2007–08 season.
Colours and kits
- Home Kit
Originally playing in black and white with the addition of blue sash for away games,[1] the club changed to black and red quarters on entry to the Southern League in 1894.[1] The club changed again in 1897 with the Swindon Advertiser reporting:
- "The new colours of the Swindon Town F.C. are to be green shirts, with white sleeves. Good-bye to the old well known red and black."[1]
With problems obtaining green dyes, the kit was short-lived and Swindon Town changed their shirts to the more familiar red in 1901.[1] Initially a dark maroon, a lighter shade was chosen for the start of the 1902–03 season and also resulted in the club's nickname "the Robins" appearing in print for the first time in programme notes for the first game.[33] The nickname is a reference to the former name of the European Robin - "Redbreast".
Swindon Town have played their home games in variations on the red and white theme since then, wearing a red shirt with white collars and white or red shorts for much of their history which has led to the team being known as the "Red and White Army". For example; the kit worn during the 1985–86 Division Four Champions season consisted of a red shirt with white pinstripes, white shorts and red socks and chants of "Lou Macari's Red and White Army" were heard from the supporters at the final stages of the season.
Following the club being re-branded in 1991, green elements were re-introduced onto the Home Strip and badge to represent the team's short-lived kit from the turn of the century. These were removed in 2007.[34]
- Away Kit
The club's away kits have only begun to change since the 1990s and the advent of the lucrative replica kit market. Swindon's original away kit (that was entirely separate to the home kit) consisted of an all-blue strip, this was not used for the club's 1969 League Cup Final victory where they elected to wear an all-white strip.
For a period in the 1980s the club changed their away kit to white shirts and black shorts and introduced a new third kit of yellow shirts and blue shorts.[35] The club alternated between these two schemes as its away kit for the 1980s.
When the club re-branded in the 1991 close season, it introduced a new away strip; the white and green "potato print" shirt with dark blue shorts,[36] this remained in use until its replacement in 1993 with another yellow and blue strip, integrating the new colour scheme by adding a green collar.[37]
A special third kit was added for the 1996–97 season and was coloured "Petrol green" in honour of the then sponsors Castrol.
Swindon wore black and gold striped away shirts for the 2003–04 season with an all-white third kit, following this with variants on the blue theme until returning to all-white in 2007.[34]
- Shirt sponsors
- 1879–1983: No sponsor
- 1983–1984: ISIS
- 1984–1989: Lowndes Lambert Group
- 1989–1991: GWR FM
- 1991–1995: Burmah
- 1995–1997: Castrol
- 1997–2007: Nationwide Building Society
- 2007–2008: Kingswood Group (Construction and Finance)
- 2008–2011: FourFourTwo Magazine
- 2009–2010: FourFourTwo magazine and EA Sports
- 2010–2011: FourFourTwo magazine, EA Sports and Samsung
Nationwide announced that after the revelation of more financial problems within the club, they were to terminate the sponsorship deal at the end of the 2006-07 season, this also included the cessation of Stadium Sponsorship. Swindon Town finance director Sandy Gray said on 24 November 2006 – "We are in negotiations with someone already. They are very keen to do a sponsorship deal in the football league."[38]
On 7 June 2007 it was announced that Kingswood Construction, a local development company, would undertake a five year sponsorship of the club. The £100,000 a year contract included both shirt and stand sponsorship.[39] This contract was terminated on 17 March 2008 following Kingswood's financial problems and failure to pay the club,[40] with Swindon Town Chief Executive Ian Watkins commenting "We had to withdraw from Kingswood because they had not paid their money and going forward under new ownership we don't want to work in any past uncertainty."[40]
In June 2008 it was announced that FourFourTwo Magazine would be the club's new sponsors after signing a three year deal with the club.[citation needed]
Stadium
Swindon Town's original pitch was located south of Bath Road, in the region of Bradford Road, adjacent to the Okus Quarry.[41] After a young spectator fell into the quarry the team decided to move first to Lansdown Road and then to a pitch near The Croft where they were to remain for the next eleven years.[1]
Swindon Town have been playing at the County Ground since 1896. They played their games on the site of the adjacent cricket pitch also called the County Ground from 1893 until the ground opened.[1]
Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery donated £300 to finance the construction of a stand on what was then known as the 'Wiltshire County Ground', this investment was enough to begin development of a purpose built football ground. Since its original construction, the ground has been periodically updated with new features or fittings. A cover on the Shrivenham Road side was erected in 1932, followed by the current roof at the Town End. This cost £4,300, which was raised by the Supporters Club, and was opened on 27 August 1938 by local MP, W.W. Wakefield.[41]
The War Department took over the ground in 1940, where for a while POWs were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this the club received compensation of £4,570 in 1945.[41]
The addition of floodlights in 1951 at a cost of £350, gave Swindon the honour of being the first League club to do so. These were first tried out v. Bristol City on 2 April 1951 beating Arsenal by six months. These original set of lights were supplemented by lights on both side stand roofs, which were sufficient for the County Ground to stage its first floodlit league match on 29 February 1956 v. Millwall. (7 days after Fratton Park became the 1st ground to stage a floodlit league fixture). The present pylons date from 1960.[41]
The ground currently contains elements constructed between the period 1950–1995, with the latest addition being the large sponsored stand on the south side. The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with a Rolex watch acting as its timekeeper, the clock on the Stratton Bank stand featuring its name was erected to celebrate promotion in 1963.[42]
The ground itself is on land owned by Swindon Borough Council to whom the club pay rent. Swindon have in the past considered a move to a club owned stadium to generate more revenue, but have not had the financial backing to do so. In 2006 a redevelopment campaign for the County Ground began,[43] with the club and TrustSTFC (the supporters' trust) raising a petition to 'Save Our Home' urging the Borough Council to "facilitate the redevelopment of the stadium and do everything they can to keep the club within the Borough"[23] including the proposed upgrading of the adjacent Cricket Club to County standard and Athletic Club to Olympic standard.
Supporters
As an expanding railway town, the club had attendances of up to 32,000 on match days until the early 1970s. Due to Swindon's low unemployment rate (one of the lowest in the United Kingdom),[44] more people work in the town than live there and so are unlikely to support the team.[45] In addition; poor team performances, the financial instability in the club and the change to an all-seated stadium following the Taylor Report have led to attendances at the County Ground dropping.[citation needed]
With an all-seated capacity of 15,728 at the County Ground, Swindon averaged a home attendance of 5,839 for the 2004–05 season.[46] Only 37% of the grounds seats were occupied at a game on average.[47] This rose to 5,950[48] (37.8%)[49] in 2005–06 and was reported as 7,109 (45.2%)[50] for the 2006–07 season.[51]
A core group of fans has inhabited the Town End of the stadium since the 1980s, producing past fanzines such as "The 69'er", "Bring the Noise" "Randy Robin" and "The Magic Roundabout"[52] amongst others. Supporters call the team "The Town", "The Reds", "STFC" and also the "Red and White Army". The red and white army is a term the supporters use to identify themselves as well. The Junior Robins is the children's supporters club which operates to provide lower ticket prices, away game activities and transport to young fans.[53] Membership of the club also allows them to be nominated as game mascot and gives them the opportunity to train in one of the many Football Schools run by the club.
The supporters' trust, TrustSTFC, was established in 2000. This organisation is a democratically elected group of fans who raise funds for the club and aim to give supporters access and input into decisions made by the club's board.[54] The group run a number of schemes including the "Loan Note Scheme", the aim of which is to buy shares in the club and assist with investment.[55] Another scheme is the Red Army Fund, the money raised by this fund is given to the club to contribute towards the purchase and wages of new players.[56] TrustSTFC also take part in the Fans' Consortium, who aim to place a supporter with a large stake-holding in the club onto the Board of Directors.[24] The trust is also currently campaigning with the club for the re-development of the County Ground.
The "Football Fever Report" published by statisticians of the Littlewoods Football Pools was released in January 2007. This report researched those teams that were the most stressful to support. Swindon Town were placed 5th out of all 92 League clubs,[57] with the report stating -
"It's only just over a decade ago that Swindon were a Premier League side, but the past 10 years have been tough going for fans at the County Ground. Relegation from the top flight in 1994 was followed by a second successive drop, and although promotion from Division Two was secured a year later, the team struggled in Division One in the next three seasons, finishing 19th, 18th and 17th. In 2000 came relegation, and a year later Swindon avoided another 'double relegation' by just one point. A glimmer of hope came when the play-offs were reached in 2004 - ending in a semi-final loss to Brighton - but last term Town became the first club to drop into the bottom tier of the Football League having once been in the Premier League. We bet Robins' fans can hardly believe it."[57]
With the dwindling support during matches in the 2004–05 season, another fans' group "Red Army Loud and Proud" was formed.[58] Red Army Loud and Proud is a small group of fans attempting to bring back the atmosphere and fun to match days. With the stated aim of being "the 12th man on the pitch",[58] the group sponsors players and also provides large colourful flags to the matches.
Hooliganism
Swindon Town has had problems with hooliganism since the 1970s, with the first known group being called the Swindon Town Aggro Boys (STAB).[59] In a home game against Wrexham in March 1978, STAB were responsible for pelting the opposing goalkeeper with carrots.[59] Club chairman Cecil Green later proclaimed: "We intend to stamp out this thuggery. The incidents were diabolical."[59] A new hooligan gang emerged in the 1980s; the Swindon.Southside.Firm (SSF) who were named after the area of terracing they occupied.[59] In a match at Northampton Town, then manager Lou Macari walked straight into a group of more than 100 SSF members chasing Northampton fans up the street. Macari said the incident was "worse than a Celtic-Rangers game".[59]
In the 1990s, the Swindon Active Service (SAS) came to prominence and it is believed they were at the centre of several hostilities with fans of local rivals Oxford and Reading.[59] In September 1998, 19 SAS members were arrested at the home match with Oxford.[59] A fracas at an away game versus Bournemouth on 18 December 2004 resulted in the arrest of seventeen and the imposition of banning orders on those found to be guilty.[60][61] The fighting, involving more than forty supporters, occurred in a busy shopping centre before the game, "District Judge Roger House said it had been a 'frightening and terrifying' experience for scores of Christmas shoppers who witnessed the scenes."[60] With the Swindon Advertiser reporting that "The area was packed with Christmas shoppers, who watched in horror as pub windows were smashed and fans traded insults."[62]
On 16 December 2006, Swindon recorded one of their highest attendances of the season- 10,010 at a home win against rivals Bristol Rovers.[63] The game was marred with supporter trouble which resulted in 11 arrests and saw an area of seating in the Arkell's Stand damaged,[64][65] with the Western Daily Press reporting - "the incident [...] ended with damage to 60 seats after they were used as missiles between opposing fans".[66] On the day of the return game in Bristol, twenty Rovers' fans attacked a number of Swindon supporters with baseball bats at a local pub.[67]
Nick Lowles, author of Hooligans 2: The M–Z of Britain's Football Hooligan Gangs, has said "If you look at Swindon, the police have been very proactive in the last five years in terms of stopping hooliganism".[59]
Swindon Town has imposed Banning Orders on those supporters who cause disruption, criminal damage or are violent when attending games. There were 29 banning orders in place in 2006, which was an increase from a total of 11 in 2005.[68] The increase in banning orders has resulted in a reduction of arrests at games, with only 22 people being arrested attending games in 2005–06 compared to 39 arrests in 2004–05.[69] Of the 22 arrests in 2005–06; 11 were for Public Disorder, 5 for Violent Disorder and the rest were made up of offences relating to missile throwing, racist chanting, pitch invasion, alcohol related offences and one incident of being in possession of an offensive weapon.[70] 33 Swindon fans were also banned from travelling to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[71]
Rivalries
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
In 2003, a poll of supporters of all Football League clubs to find out which teams they see as their main rivals was conducted by the Football Fans Census, the results of which put Swindon in joint 13th place on the list of teams with most rivals.[72] This was calculated from the number of other clubs that consider Swindon to be their first, second or third biggest rivals. Historically, Swindon's main rivals are the other West Country teams of Bristol City and Bristol Rovers with rivalries also with Thames Valley teams Reading and Oxford who joined the list in the 1960s following their promotion to the league.
Rivalry with Oxford United
- Oxford United (35 miles) - The subject of Swindon fans' most intense rivalry. A large number of terrace chants from both Oxford and Swindon refer to this, whether they are playing each other or not. The survey of 2003 revealed that amongst other names, Swindon fans called Oxford United "Poxford"[72] whilst Oxford called Swindon Town "Scumdon".[72]
Rivalry with Reading
- Reading (40 miles) - The club's oldest rivals. Swindon first played competitive football against Reading in 1892. Due to Reading's movement through the leagues the rivalry has abated and they are not considered to be a constant target for terrace chants.
Rivalry with Bristol Rovers and Bristol City
- Bristol Rovers (35 miles) - The club's second oldest rivals. Swindon first played competitive football against Bristol Rovers in the Western League in 1897. Rovers' election to the Southern League in 1899 saw the two clubs playing against each other in the same division until 1953.
- Bristol City (40 miles) - Although both sets of clubs have bigger rivals this is a rivalry that intensifies when the two clubs are in the same division, especially around fixture time. Bristol City dub Swindon, "Swindle" or "Swinedon" whereas Swindon fans see City, or "The Slave Traders", as above their station in the sense that many City fans feel they are a bigger club than they probably are.
Minor Rivalries
- Cheltenham Town (30 miles) - Cheltenham Town fans consider Swindon Town a rival due to their geographical proximity and perhaps more significantly because of behind-the-scenes issues involving delayed matchday payments to Cheltenham from Swindon's former owners. [citation needed] This rivalry is not mutual though as the overwhelming majority of Swindon fans do not recognise Cheltenham as a rival, possibly because Cheltenham only joined the Football League in 1999 and the two clubs have rarely played each other in a competitive fixture. [citation needed]
Statistics and records
John Trollope holds the record for Swindon Town appearances, having played 889 first-team matches between 1960 and 1980. Trollope also holds the English Football League Record of most appearances by a player at one club, having played in 770 League games.[73] Central defender Maurice Owen comes second, having played 601 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Sam Burton, who is third with 509 appearances.
Harry Morris holds all of Swindon's goal records, having scored 229 goals for the club between 1926 and 1933.[42] Harold Fleming is second with 203, with Don Rogers third with 178. Morris scored the most goals in a season with 48 during 1926–27, 47 of which were in League games which is another club record. The most goals scored by an individual is also held by Morris and Keith East, who have both scored 5 against League opposition (Morris having achieved this in 1926 and 1930).
The highest attendance at the County Ground of 32,000 was recorded on 15 January 1972 in a FA Cup Third Round match against Arsenal.[74] The capacity of the ground is now 15,728 so it is unlikely that this record will be broken in the foreseeable future.
Swindon Town have also set records in English football, being the second team (after York City in 1983/84) to score over 100 points in the League when they became Fourth Division champions in 1985–86. The total of 102 that the club scored has since been beaten. They also hold the FA Premier League Record for most goals conceded in a season, 100 in 1993–94, though several teams have finished with a lower points tally.
On 20 February 2007 the club played in a landmark League game away to Barnet, a 1–0 loss. The completion of this match meant that Swindon had, during their history, played a League game at home and away against every team who, in the 2006-07 season, were in the FA Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.
Current squad
- As of 2 August 2010.[75]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Other teams
Reserves and Youth
For the reserve and youth squads, see Swindon Town F.C. Reserves and Youth
Swindon Town Ladies F.C.
Established on 28 September 1993, after breaking away from the established Swindon Spitfires Women's and Girls' Football Club [76] the current Swindon Town Ladies Football Club (STLFC) first team play in the South West Combination Women's Football League and reached the first round proper of the FA Women's Cup for the second time in their history during the 2006–07 season.[77] Swindon Town Ladies currently their home games at the Weir Field in Wroughton, on the outskirts of Swindon. In addition to the senior squad, the club also runs three full strength junior teams for those aged 10 and above.
Stats
Personnel
Club officials
- Chairman: Jeremy Wray (Interim)
- Consortium Members: Andrew Fitton, Jeremy Wray, Russell Backhouse, Martyn Arbib, Nick Watkins, Andrew Black
- Chief Executive: Nick Watkins
- Directors: Jeremy Wray, Andrew Fitton, Russell Backhouse, Nick Watkins
- Manager: Paul Bodin (Interim)
- Assistant Manager: Vacant
- Youth Team Manager: Paul Bodin
- Goalkeeper Coach: George Wood
Managers
As of 1 January 2011. Only competitive matches are counted
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | ||||
| Sam Allen | 
|
1902 | 1933 | 1127 | 487 | 248 | 392 | 1988 | 1660 |
| Ted Vizard | 
|
1933 | 1939 | 285 | 108 | 63 | 114 | 455 | 481 |
| Neil Harris | 
|
1939 | 1940 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 69 | 73 |
| Louis Page |
|
1945 | 1953 | 369 | 135 | 95 | 139 | 515 | 570 |
| Maurice Lindley |
|
1953 | 1955 | 93 | 26 | 25 | 42 | 114 | 134 |
| Bert Head |
|
1956 | 1965 | 426 | 160 | 108 | 158 | 660 | 637 |
| Danny Williams |
|
1965 | 1969 | 222 | 104 | 58 | 60 | 377 | 237 |
| Fred Ford |
|
1969 | 1971 | 122 | 50 | 34 | 38 | 175 | 140 |
| Dave Mackay |
|
1971 | 1972 | 45 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 58 | 66 |
| Les Allen |
|
1972 | 1974 | 62 | 13 | 20 | 29 | 61 | 94 |
| Danny Williams |
|
1974 | 1978 | 227 | 87 | 61 | 79 | 340 | 328 |
| Bobby Smith |
|
1978 | 1980 | 132 | 63 | 25 | 44 | 208 | 169 |
| John Trollope |
|
1980 | 1983 | 121 | 43 | 33 | 45 | 161 | 153 |
| Ken Beamish |
|
1983 | 1984 | 68 | 26 | 17 | 25 | 99 | 87 |
| Lou Macari |
|
1984 | 1989 | 285 | 138 | 67 | 80 | 449 | 340 |
| Osvaldo Ardiles | 
|
1989 | 1991 | 106 | 40 | 33 | 33 | 163 | 140 |
| Glenn Hoddle |
|
1991 | 1993 | 120 | 51 | 32 | 37 | 202 | 162 |
| John Gorman |
|
1993 | 1994 | 72 | 15 | 20 | 37 | 90 | 148 |
| Steve McMahon |
|
1994 | 1998 | 204 | 75 | 49 | 80 | 245 | 277 |
| Jimmy Quinn | 
|
1998 | 2000 | 85 | 19 | 21 | 45 | 84 | 141 |
| Colin Todd |
|
2000 | 2000 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 29 |
| Andy King |
|
2000 | 2001 | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 43 | 43 |
| Roy Evans |
|
2001 | 2001 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 35 |
| Andy King |
|
2001 | 2005 | 193 | 71 | 48 | 74 | 265 | 263 |
| Iffy Onuora |
|
2005 | 2006 | 40 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 40 | 56 |
| Dennis Wise |
|
2006 | 2006 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3[78] | 24 | 14 |
| Paul Sturrock |
|
2006 | 2007 | 52 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 71 | 51 |
| Maurice Malpas |
|
2008 | 2008 | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 59 | 61 |
| Danny Wilson |
|
2008 | 2011 | 120 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 173 | 160 |
| Paul Hart |
|
2011 | 2011 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Vacant | 
|
2011 | present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Caretaker Managers
As of 1 January 2011. Only competitive matches are counted
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | ||||
| Danny Williams |
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Andy Rowland |
|
1994 | 1994 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Mike Walsh |
|
1998 | 1998 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| David Tuttle |
|
2006 | 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ady Williams |
|
2006 | 2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| David Byrne |
|
2007 | 2008 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 |
| David Byrne |
|
2008 | 2008 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 14 |
| Paul Bodin |
|
2011 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Of the men who have managed Swindon Town, 15 had played international football during their careers.
England: Louis Page, Glenn Hoddle, Steve McMahon, Colin Todd, Dennis Wise.
Scotland: Neil Harris, Dave Mackay, Lou Macari, Paul Sturrock, Maurice Malpas.
Wales: Ted Vizard, Ady Williams, Paul Bodin.
Northern Ireland: Jimmy Quinn, Danny Wilson.
Argentina: Ossie Ardiles.
Seasons, awards and honours
* Season in progress.
Swindon Town Legends XI
Throughout the 2009-10 League One season the readers of Swindon Advertiser and visitors of their website were able to vote for a Swindon Town Legends XI.
| 1 | GK | ENG
|
Fraser Digby (1986–98) |
| 2 | DF | WAL
|
Rod Thomas (1966–73) |
| 3 | DF | WAL
|
Paul Bodin (1988–91, 1992–96) |
| 4 | MF | ENG
|
Glenn Hoddle (1991–93) |
| 5 | DF | SCO
|
Colin Calderwood (1985–93) |
| 6 | DF | ENG
|
Shaun Taylor (1991–96) |
| 7 | MF | ENG
|
Mike Summerbee (1959–63) |
| 8 | MF |  EIR
|
Alan McLoughlin (1986–91) |
| 9 | FW |  NOR
|
Jan Åge Fjørtoft (1993–95) |
| 10 | FW | SCO
|
Duncan Shearer (1988–92) |
| 11 | MF | ENG
|
Don Rogers (1962–72, 1976–77) |
- Manager: Lou Macari (1984–89)
English Football Hall of Fame
The following have either played for or managed Swindon Town and have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
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Swindon Town players at World Cups
The following players were chosen to represent their country at the World Cup while contracted to Swindon Town.;
Achievements
League Honours
- Football League 2nd Tier (Currently Football League Championship):
- Football League 3rd Tier (Currently Football League One):
- Football League 4th Tier (Currently Football League Two):
- Winners (1): 1985-86
- Southern League:
- Winners (2): 1910-11, 1913–14
- Runners up (4): 1897-98, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1912–13
- Western League:
- Winners (1): 1898-99
Cup Honours
- FA Youth Cup:
- Runners-up (1): 1964
- FA Charity Shield
- Runners-up (1): 1911
- Football League Third Division South Cup:
- Runners-up (1): 1935-36
- Anglo-Italian Cup:
- Winners (1): 1969-70
- Anglo-Italian League Cup:
- Winners (1): 1968-69
- Wiltshire Cup:
- Winners (10): 1986-87, 1887–88, 1888–89, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1896–97, 1903–04, 1919–20
- Dubonnet Cup:
- Winners (1): 1909-10
- Wiltshire Premier Shield:
- Winners (28): 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1972, 1974,1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2010
- Milk Cup Junior Section
- Winners (1): 2006
- Milk Cup Northern Ireland Trophy
- Winners (1): 2007
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "In the beginning..." swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ a b "Swindon bring in Paul Bodin as manager for Paul Hart". BBC Sport. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "England — Professional Football All-Time Tables 1888/89–2008/09" RSSSF.com (Retrieved: 14 April 2010)
- ^ "Medals to be sold". Salisbury Journal. 20 April 1999.
- ^ "League Cup Final 1969 Match Report". football-england.com. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
- ^ "Swindon Town 1969 TV Archive". BBC. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
- ^ "Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners' Cup Winners 1969/1970". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ Wheeler, Sam (2000). "Cup Glory in Europe". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
- ^ "Division Four Champions 1985/1986". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007. [dead link]
- ^ "Division Three Play-off Winners 1986/1987". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Division Two Play-off Winners 1989/1990". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Season 1989-1990". Archive. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Division One Play-off Winners 1992/1993". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Season 1993-94". Archive. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Season 1995-96". Archive. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Division Two Champions 1995/1996". Achievements. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ "£200,000 - That's the price of relegation as Town take drop at Ashton Gate". News Headlines. Swindon Advertiser. 1 May 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Swindon confirm Wise as Manager". BBC Sport. 22 May 2006.
- ^ "Swindon 1-1 Walsall". Football. BBC News. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
- ^ "Swindon out of administration". BBC Sport. 19 August 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
- ^ "Club is saved after paying bill". BBC News. 19 October 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Interview with Mike Diamandis". Where I Live - Swindon. BBC News. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Keep It Up!" (PDF). Stadium Development. Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ a b "Swindon Town Fans' Consortium". TrustSTFC. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ "Do your talking on pitch - Malpas". BBC.
- ^ "Wilson appointed Swindon manager". BBC Sport. 26 December 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
- ^ "Badge History" (jpg). swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Swindon Town FC". footballcrests.com. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Borough of Swindon Coat of Arms". Heritage. Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ Dave Hanley (2000). "STFC programmes 1985". My Only Swindon. Retrieved 15 January 2007. [dead link]
- ^ "Swindon's crest set to change". Swindon Advertiser. 5 April 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ "Town decide on new badge". Swindon Advertiser. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ Mattick, Dick (1989). The Robins - The Story of Swindon Town Football Club. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure press. ISBN 0-86023-460-6.
- ^ a b "Swindon Town in Lotto until 2009". footballshirtculture.com. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
- ^ "Season 1984-1985". Kits. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Season 1991-1992". Kits. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Season 1993-1994". Kits. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Swindon Town seeks new bail out". BBC News. 24 November 2006.
- ^ Steve Butt (7 June 2007). "Town set to unveil their new sponsor". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
- ^ a b Andy Cryer (17 March 2008). "Town seek new sponsor as Kingswood are axed over debt". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d Inglis, Simon: "Football Grounds of Britain.", page 358. CollinsWillow, 1996.
- ^ a b "STFC Facts & Figures". Swindon Town Football Club. swindonweb.com. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Stadium Development" (PDF). Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Swindon North". Vote 2001: Results & Constituencies. BBC News. 2001. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
- ^ "Response to the Call for Proposals - Introduction to Swindon - 1.3" (PDF). Vote 2001: Results & Constituencies. Swindon Borough Council. 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
- ^ "2004-2005 Division 2 Attendances". soccerstats.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ Calculation - (5,839/15,728)*100=37.125
- ^ "2005-2006 Division 2 Attendances". soccerstats.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ Calculation - (5,950/15,728)*100=37.83
- ^ Calculation - (7,109/15,728)*100=45.1996
- ^ "2006-2007 Division 3 Attendances". soccerstats.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ "New fanzine a good read". Swindon Advertiser. 2000. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ "Junior Robins". Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ "Aims of the Trust". TrustSTFC. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ "Loan Note Scheme". TrustSTFC. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ "Red Army Fund". TrustSTFC. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Top Ten Clubs". Football Fever Report. Littlewoods Football Pools. 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ a b "About Us". Red Army Loud and Proud. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Not so beautiful". Swindon Advertiser. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
- ^ a b "Swindon fans up in court". Swindon Advertiser. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ "'He could have caused a riot'". Swindon Advertiser. 25 November 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
- ^ "17 arrests made after soccer fight". Swindon Advertiser. 26 May 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ "Swindon 2-1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ "Probe after fans ripped up seats". BBC Sport. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ "Starnes vows 'severe' action". TEAMtalk. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ "Swindon set to ban thugs". Western Daily Press. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
- ^ Kevin Burchall (30 April 2007). "Thugs' baseball attack on Town fans". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ "Football Banning Orders by club supported (10 October 2006)" (PDF). Statistics on Football related arrests & Banning Orders - Season 2005-6. Home Office. 21 October 2006. pp. page 4. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
{{cite web}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ "Football related arrests - 2005/06 season, Arrests of supporters of Football League Division One and Two clubs" (PDF). Statistics on Football related arrests & Banning Orders - Season 2005-06. Home Office. 21 October 2006. pp. page 8. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
{{cite web}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ "Arrests by club supported & type of offence - League One 2005/6 season" (PDF). Statistics on Football related arrests & Banning Orders - Season 2005-06. Home Office. 21 October 2006. pp. page 11. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
{{cite web}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Gareth Bethell & Mark Hookham. "Cup ban for 'fans'". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ a b c "Rivalry Uncovered" (PDF). The Football Fans Census. 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2007. Cite error: The named reference "rivalrycensus" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "John Trollope". Legends. Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
- ^ "Stadium Info". Welcome to the County Ground. Swindon Town FC. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
- ^ "Squad Profiles". Swindon Town F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ^ "Club Photos". This is Wiltshire - Communigate. Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
- ^ "Results". The FA Women's Cup. The Football Association. Retrieved 13 February 2007. [dead link]
- ^ The 2006–07 League Cup game against Brentford in which Swindon lost on penalties under the management of Dennis Wise has been marked as a draw
References
- Mattick, Dick (1989). The Robins - The Story of Swindon Town Football Club. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure press. ISBN 0-86023-460-6.
- Mattick, Dick (2002). Swindon Town Football Club 100 Greats. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2714-8.
- Mattick, Dick (2004). Swindon Town F.C.: 50 Classic Matches. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2866-7.
- Hayes, Dean (2001). Swindon Town Football Club: An A-Z. Aureus. ISBN 1-8997-5006-1.
- Plowman, Paul (2009). Swindon Town : 1879-2009 The Combined Volume. Footprint Publications. ISBN 9-7809-5628-1906.
External links
- Official
- Official website - Official Website of Swindon Town FC
- Swindon Town Ladies - Official Website of Swindon Town Ladies FC
- TrustSTFC – Swindon Town Supporters Trust; a fans organisation created in 2001
- News
- Swindon Town on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- BBC Swindon - Audio match reports and interviews from BBC Radio Swindon
- This is Swindon Town FC - News, match reports, forums and other information from the Swindon Advertiser
