There's a whole series of stories on tonight's game from a Swindon pespective here:
Swindon
I think that a problem for us all season has been that we are seen in League 1 as a 'big' club and a scalp worth taking. We are 'big' by the standards of many teams in the third division and we are punching below our weight which is why we want out. Plus we are fed up with the clogging, foul tolerant referees and long balls that characterise this division. Also, the club's financial situation is desperate, so these are some of the most important matches in our recent history (the play-off final against Leeds at Birmingham was the really crucial one).
Some useful facts about Swindon:
1. There wasn't anything here until the Great Western Railway constructed its 'works'.
2. I once read a book about Swindon called 'An Awkward Size for a Town'. The account of the inhabitants' lives portrayed them as boring beyond belief.
3. It is the home of the 'Magic Roundabout', one of its main claims to fame.
4. I used to have to go to meetings in Swindon. Eventually people got so fed up with navigating the road system and the general depressing effect that we decanted to Cotswolds hotels (one of them used by Swindon loan players).
5. I sponsored the match ball when we lost 0-1 at home to Swindon through an uncharactersitic mistake by Deano and our failure to find the back of the net. I had invited an Addick who lives in Swindon with me and he almost required medical treatment afterwards.
6. Two of our daughters live not so far away on the Berks/Oxon border. One of their friends needed to downsize their house in an upmarket village. Where could they find cheap housing? Swindon.
7. I shall be very pleased if we don't have to go to the County Ground next season, even if it is a nice drive across the Cotswolds - and not because Swindon go up.
Come on you Reds!
3 comments:
And I thought I was the club jonah! Point 5 puts my mind and life to rest. Thank you Glyn!
I'm going to be listening to the match first thing tomorrow (6.45am new zealand time). From what I know, there will also be 4 other hardcore ex-season ticket holders cheering on the real robins from this side of the world. It seems all the expats and 'football fans' over here are Chelski fans. So the all the attention is on the FA Cup. Such is life. I hope we will get a mention. Hopefully for all the right reasons!
Either way, thank you for the diary. It keeps us lot this side of the world in touch. Thanks to Dr K as well!
Up the addicks & Cheer on the boys in red.
BTW Glyn = Wyn in this part of the world. It's how they type it in NZ.
I hope there is a 'Peter Shirtliff' playing tonight: what a match that was at Birmingham, my emotions were stretched almost beyond breaking point. Only matched by the game way back when we left the old div 1 and the so memorable wembley playof final against sunderland.
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