Thetownend.com

I'm bored and the new season still isn't starting, so time for a trip down memory lane and particularly into the dark corners of forgetfulness.

Inspired by a few of those Facebook groups that occasionally post pictures of Timothee Atouba or just about anyone Harry Redknapp signed at Portsmouth, I thought I'd try and put together an XI of utterly forgettable Swindon Town players. Not the utterly shit (Heiselberg, Elkins) or the still quite shit, but memorable for the wrong reasons (Lanzano, Ashikodi) but the completely obscure, that you have to strain to remember ever existing and can't remember a single thing they did in a Town shirt.

Bonus points of course for those who played more than a few games on loan, and for those more recent who my memory hasn't yet had a chance to forget. My effort is pretty poor, largely from the last 15 or so years so plenty to build on. There are a lot of strong candidates from 2005/6 which was about the most forgettable season of all time.

GK Richard McKinney
DF Luke Garrard
DF Nicky Nicolau
DF Charlie Comyn-Platt
DF Patrick Noubisse
MF Paul McAreavey
MF Neale McDemott*
MF Colin Heath
MF Paul Edwards
FW Martin Williams
FW Hamdi Razak

* Neale McDermott actually did do one particularly memorable thing in scoring from a free kick against Bristol City, but I can't remember anything else he did so he's going in.

Any other names that will send me scuttling to Wikipedia or Swindon Town FC.co.uk to find out what I've forgotten? There must have been plenty...

Petr Mikolanda, Neale Finn, Andy Lonegan.

Sam Campagna

John Sutton, Lloyd Opera, Jon Stevenson, Jon Beswetherick

Adrian Bakali
Richard Greene
Curtis Fleming
John Buttigieg (Maltese international no less)

GK: Steve Book

RB: Paul Mitchell
CB: Sam Collins
CB: Ben Martin
LB: Freddy Bessone

RW: Dave Bennett
CM: Steve Adams
CM: Eddie Howe
LW: Dean Hooper

FW: Ashley Grimes
FW: Chris Hamon

You mean the legend that is Bobby Howe, Shirley?

My obscure XI are so obscure that I don't remember them at all.

My obscure X1 are so obscure nobody has even heard of them, not even themselves.

Wasn't Eddie Howe the guy who spoke a bit on That's Football,  back in the prem promotion year?

Edit. No, it was Murray.

Surprised that no one's mentioned our favourite disappearing Czech yet.

No, we signed Eddie Howe on loan in 2004!!!
Didn't we?!?

Yes, from Portsmouth I think. He'd been a legend at Bournemouth, but spent most of his time with us injured and retired soon afterwards.

Yep, signed on loan - never played.
Can't get much more obscure than that!
Knew I didn't imagine it...

Yes, but he then got injured and never played for us.

Andy King approached the Trust about using the Red Army Fund for Howe as he had been refused the funds by the board. We said yes, but once the board found out the Trust were going to get the credit for the signing they found the money themselves.

He would have been the Red Army Funds first ever signing, and probably the last too given the probable effect of signing a crock who never kicked a ball!

He did sit behind me in the DRS for one of the games he was here but injured.

Honestly, true story!

Seb Ruster

Ian Herring

Chris Hamon

Neal Fenn

Craig Moores, Ian Muir, Ian Andrews, Tom Mcallister, Mark Mccammon, Michael Meaker, Mauro Almeida, Graham Anthony, Moses Ashikodi, Daniel Boateng the list is endless of the utter drivel we have had (mostly on loan) over the years.

For the record I thought Dave Bennett was class in his 1 and a half games for us, he ran the match at Pox on his debut and was victim of an on pitch criminal tackle that ended his career in his 2nd game away at Darlo.

If he didn't suffer one of the worst breaks I have ever seen at a match then I am sure he would have been a star for us. A cult hero at Coventry City as well where he is often in their best ever 11 team.

Saw Adrian Bakali play away at Stoke and who can forget Peter Holcroft? Steve McMahon said he was going to be the next Kevin Sheedy,sadly he was shit!

 This is quite difficult to do, because the more obscure  a player is, the more likely you are to remember them. So for example everybody goes on about Adrian Bakali, but he's not obscure at all really....being Belgian and having a an unusual name.

 Kevin James came up the other day, and I  had to hold my hand up to having completely forgotten about him.  Got to be a few Smiths, who have slipped through...anyway

GK  Craig Farr
RB Paul Petersen
CH Jimmy Giles
CH Mick Blick
LB Rod Desmeules
MF Alan Sproates
MF Dave Harper
MF Barry Lowes
MF Ian Farr
CF David Down
CF Dennis Peapell

Management.....Adie Williams and Barry Hunter.

Oh and it's Fede Bessone, DV, not Freddie, had you forgotten?

I haven't heard of so many of these - think you should put the year they played next to their name.

Mick Blick are you sure?

Mick Blick is really a bit of a legend, I put him in just to raise awareness. Barry Lowes had his own song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzHpGjvRgTc

stick Ba Ba Ba Barry Low-es into this Troggs chorus.

 Sadly he didn't merit it

peter holcroft was utter shit, his debut he played like a smackhead on a comedown

Anyone with a song must be disqualified as too high profile, particularly a unique one and not just clap clap clap clap clap clap.

Some good names in here though, forgot a lot of them ever existed. I suspect in a year or two Alex Smith and every Samsung player will be strong candidates.

Wasn't Holcroft the one that got sent off away at Man City in the FA Cup? god that was an awful game and he was as atrocious.

On the Smith theme, anyone remember Bryan Smith...thought not.

Actually yes I do, mostly because he was one of the 2 players we loaned to Celtic for a trial under Dalglish...the other being young Alan Young. Smith was a big centre back and TBF not very good, playing his trade in the lower leagues now.

An early 80s compilation, from our darkest hour before the dawn. None of them loanees, some played loads of games, but none will be remembered fondly for their contribution while at STFC, and though a few had had some success before their failed stint with us, I think only one, Glenn Cockerill, went on to do anything after us. Seeing some of these names still makes me shudder. God, I'm turning into Reg.

Jake Findlay
Colin Barrett
Ray Baverstock
Andy Rollings
Simon Gibson
Paul Richardson
Brian Hughes
Martin Blackler
Glenn Cockerill
Roy Greenwood
Mark Gardiner

Franklin Anzite

If you were turning into me, you'd ask youself the question are those really obscure?  What about the likes of Nicky Hughes, Mark Hughes, Mark Payne from the same era....Dean Casserley, Ian Andrews ?

Cockerill wasn't that bad

What about the bloke who paid to be a member of the squad? Who can name him without googling, no one I reckon!

No. 69

Dave Marsh maybe.

Well yes that's true, but I thought it was too easy just to dig up names of players who'd only played a game or two. True obscurity should be based on the highest number of games played divided by the amount they're remembered. Brian Hughes and Greenwood for instance played almost all the games in at least one season, but their pathetic contributions have been effaced from the collective consciousness.

And I thought Glenn Cockerill was weak, wayward and awful. I was amazed he went on to big things at Soton. Audrey's obviously a better judge of hidden talent than me.

Some of our recent seasons, are probably the best way forward, especially anything PdC.  Kingy collected a few stumers, in his time Jeff Whitley,  Kyle Lightbourne, think Alex Rhodes may have been one of his also, and the Sturrock reign around the time of the 3 amigos.  As SY succinctly put it....Franklin Anzite

That's the fella.

Not overly proud that I know that though.

Mike Carter is a man who deserves a mention....played 5 games in 82, when we went down, was nominally a midfielder of his 5 we lost 4 and got a point at the Den in a 0-0.

We also only scored 1 in his stint....I must have seen Mike play, but it was a period for wiping games from the memory, and don't remember a thing about him.

I don't think he was helped by being in the same team as Roy Carter....only one was an unstoppable sex machine.

Yeah it was Dave Marsh, but I'd played football with him before a few times!

Anyone who played in that God awful game away at Newport should be erased from the collective.

And who was that CB whom played loads - Russell something

Lewis.

Dat's him! Ta

Jimmy Glass

Glass is a cult hero and pretty famous for goal scoring, he definitely isn't allowed!

Kaid Mohammed
Luke Garrard
Paul Ince

Paul Ince should be in another thread, of players who were good before they reached us, alongside Neil Ruddock, Dave Mackay, David Peach… suggestions?

Mark Robertson, the Aussie fella from the early King era.  On the same note, Marko Tuomela.  Oh, and I remember one season in the same era where we played James Williams as a sweeper for the first few games of the season, and he looked great.  In reality - he wasn't.

Despite having a season ticket at the time, and usually remembering all players (I'm a geek) I have no memory of Shayne Bradley.

Kaid Mohammed

Nalis, Cureton, Thorpe (kinda), Harley, Navarro, Prutton...

Think I'm turning this into just 'massively overrated' though!

Not sure how you think Marko Tuomela is obscure, as Town's only Finnish international.

Now you're talking with Shayne Bradley....but I remember him from a game v Ipswich in 99, when we lost 0-6 at the CG, still the biggest defeat I've seen at the CG, eclipsing the 1-6 v Newcastle in 64.  Craig Taylor got sent off after about 5 mins, which didn't help...Des Linton was another from that side, who might be worth a mention.

Despite all the crapshite we've had down the years, I can't recall a season when we've been a week away from season's start with such a thin looking squad.

As we are only looking for loan players, the window for them is forever open.

So, in some ways, I think Cooper/Power are doing the right thing and not bringing in players they don't really want just to bolster the squad.

I'm sure we'll get there in the end

Some obscure shite there for sure, but Giler? Hard as nails, great in the air, pity he couldn't kick a ball.

And I see poor old Russell Lewis crops up again - for my money an honest, hard-working pro, did all the ugly stuff whilst surrounded by fannying no-hopers trying to be George Best on the mud heaps of the day. How about these tho'?

David Dangerfield, local lad played a few games
Ray Clarke ex-Spurs
Gerry O'Brien
Geoff Chalklin
The Gilligans
? Broome - centre half?
Phil Harris - did he ever play a game?
Mike O'Hara, tall keeper, a forgotten Bert's Babe
Dave Round, another stopper, in the days we had stoppers
David Caldwell, played a few in the early '80s 4th Div days.

So many forgotten names, all had their 5 mins of fame (sort of).

Tommy Jenkins, who I unfortunately remember.

But who the hell was Howard Goddard?

Agree. Russell Lewis had a bit of cult status, limited but willing. I never saw David Round outside team photos. Did he ever get a game? Unusually swindon-town-fc doesn't have a record for him.

Jimmy Giles had a pretty decent career after leaving us...really good cricketer as well, rapid bowler, who I faced unsuccessfully.

I was going to ask the same question, one of those youth team/reserve players who got good write-ups so the assumption was they'd step up....Jamie Reynolds being a classic of the type.

Who was Darren Hall who was in the 92/93 squad photo? Did he ever play?

Yeah, there's a whole separate thread potential in 'players who seemed like they'd be great signings but really weren't'

I was very excited with the prospect of Gareth Whalley running our midfield like a league One Xavi.

Also Wilf I think you're talking about Marion Broomes, although the fact that I remember him and I was about 7 that season suggests he might not be eligible.

I remember him, blonde striker ( allegedly)  Either came from or went to Newport after a few games with no Impact.

swindon-town-fc says no. No idea who he was.

Marlon Broomes was a good player - scored an absolute scorcher (Brum?) at the CG when on loan from Blackburn.

I've had a rummage...

Mick Blick, if he's an anorak like me, can pick up his copy of Town -v- AS Roma, 'International League Cup Winners Cup' programme, 1969, and see his name missing. But if he has the official team sheet, he'll show his grandchildren that he played, and won 4-0. Against Fabio Capello et al.

Rod Desmeules slightly less so. He's in the picture of the squad -v- Juventus the previous season, but didn't play. A Juve team including the legendary Luis Del Sol, Real Madrid European Cup Winner in the Di Stefano (RIP), Puskas era. So close...

David Round had 4 sponsors, no less, in the programme of 80/81. 2 more in 81/82. Doesn't seem to have made an appearance, although I have the prog for Town -v- Huddersfield in Sept 80 and he's penciled- (or in my case biroed) in as a sub, in the days when, it seems, non-playing subs didn't get a mention in the official records. I wonder if Sharon & Julie Keyse of Cashes Green (where?) felt they got value for money for their £38 2-year sponsorship...

At least these guys made the Show. Nearly.

Cashes Green is Stroud way I think.

Alan Flanagan has to be worth a mention. One (apparently) superb game at Sheffield Utd...

Alex Rhodes, anybody? Can honestly say I just can't recall him.

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=RHODESAL

Why I mentioned him on page 3  :)

I thought he may have been a Kingy signing, but was a Wise signing according to that.

He was quite highly rated at the time I seem to recall.

So you did Reginald. Well played.

He's definitely obscure though...

Must admit Alex Rhodes is the first name mentioned on this thread that I've seen play but had totally forgotten about.
All the others I recall or are before my time.

Howard Goddard 1976/77 is related to my wife's family from pen hill left footed player with huge blow dried hair.Glenn cocker I'll was cock for us but good for saints until Paul Davis at gooners sorted him.

To qualify for this, there should be a minimum number of games played to make it a challenge.  Chris Hamon was an interesting call.  I remember him quite easily, name wise, and I remember him playing against Wolves away at the end of the 94/95 season.  I am sure I saw him play again, but have no memory of him after that debut appearance.

Nathan Edwards I simply cannot place, I don't think and while I remember him, McAreavey played a lot more than I remember, over a few seasons!

Steve Peplow.

Dont forget the disco king frank mcavannie Andy Rollins Dave cole Derek hall Steve berry John Kelly Roy wegerle  Craig Taylor and terry gibson

Berry and Wegerle did ok in their short spells for us I thought

Chris Smith will be worth a shout in a few seasons time, as will Will Evans.

Looked very handy at first. Good left foot!

Nathan Edwards was youth team captain, centre mid, but was never going to make it. What you might call an "administration player".

Berry displaced Leigh Barnard !!! Wegerle fantastic dribble for 1 great goal but didn't run at all at any other time each to their opinion though .

Roy Wegerle was good, rich mans Dave Bamber.

I am actually sat here in my dave bamber is god t shirt. What a player.

Christ on a bike Alex Rhodes might be a winner, I'm pretty sure I had a season ticket that year and I couldn't tell you a thing about him.

Who was the striker the Red Army Fund paid for...something Proctor?

Daren Dykes (all the more obscure for the spelling)

Des Linton. Full back on loan from Peterborough when in old div 1.

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=LINTONDE

Michael I think. He was a bit rubbish but scored the winner away at Luton i think.

I concur. You have great taste Sutton.

Chris Blackburn
Richard Dryden
Chris McPhee
Jon Sheffield
Paul Heald
Richard Key
Steve Jenkins
Ibon Arrieta
John Cornwell
David Geddis
Martin Williams

(My memory really is clogged up with shite. Thanks to this thread it's finally proved useful)

Steve Jenkins is harsh. He was alright for a Taff.

Martin Williams got a hat trick at a Luton too I think.

Never heard of Darren, but Derek Hall is an obscure curio....

Think he scored but we didn't win.
Score the winner on his debut, home to Port Vale...on one of the coldest nights ever?

Paul Fiocca.

Proctor scored two in four games, so a pretty good RAF return. One was in a defeat at Luton (3-1?)

Neil Webb.

Ben Martin and Kevin James.

Dave Partridge
Claude Gnapka

Richard Green and Lee Middleton were two other players from that era who made the team photos without playing.

Neither were that young either, Green did okay before and after his season at Swindon. Middleton and his (twin?) brother both played for Coventry, the other Middleton had a longer career in the pros than ours did... I think.

Nicky Tanner on loan from Liverpool. Ex-Rovers.

There is some one by the name of Hall in that 92/93 photo - I don't know if his name was Darren or not and I have no memory of him, certainly obscure though

Looking at that reminds me of the Channel Islander Chris Hamon - I don't know if he's been mentioned already?

He wasn't obscure, just fucking useless.

I guess it didn't help his cause that he was brought in to cover Calderwood

:D

I want to flag up Roy Compton....now I never saw Roy play, but he's always been something of a mystery to me.  We go back to the 73/74 season when we were wretched under Les Allen, Roy was a 19 year old striker who we'd picked up the year before I think from Millwall.

Roy is called in to make his debut at Ayresome Park, v MBoro, who are top of the league, whilst we're detached at the bottom.  It's February, and Boro field what many consider to be the hardest sounding team to have played English football....not only did they sound hard...they were hard.

Platt
Craggs
Spraggon
Souness
Boam
Maddren
Murdoch
Foggon
Mills
Hickton
Armstrong
sub....Brine

Ok not unexpectedly we lose, but Roy scores on debut. His home debut is in front of 2,600 a few days later, in one of those 3 day week matches, which kicked off week day afternoon because of power cuts. The following Sat in front of 5000 odd Roy scores v Cardiff and we get a point...so 2 in 3, a seemingly decent start.  A week later Roy is subbed v Pompey at the CG, and that was it...never played another league game for anyone.

Paul Edwards
Adam Willis
Alex Smith (scorer away at wba on 9/11)

Played against John Kelly in some charity match at Tisbury ...mid 90s...(Ian Beale and Archie from Emmerdale was there too). He told me he fell out with Macari and that was that.

Jimmy Gilligan has to a shout for me......seemed alright but was bombed out..

Roy Compton is a mystery to me too. Disappeared without trace.

Another who played a handful of games around that time, and scored a couple – Richard Legg, nicknamed, of course, Dicky Legg.

David Munks, same era.

Mike Dillon, on loan from Spurs. Played 7, then seems to have had a career with New York Cosmos, Washington Diplomats….and Cheshunt.

Phil Harris, who I mentioned earlier: 1 sub appearance in 1976. That’s it. Some career…

We really had some rubbish in those years.

I went to school with Richard Legge in Chippenham - albeit he was a couple of years older than me.

He played at the old Hardenhuish ground for Chippenham before making it 'big' with STFC!

Makes me think of how many town players are local to swindon. Charlie Griffin from chippenham,  Fitzroy Simpson from Bradford on Avon iirc?

Fitzroy played for a youth team v my mate at Warminster town, apart from him setting up two goals and scoring a Hattrick my mate owned him!

Does David Tuttle get included as our most obscure temporary boss (0 games)?

A good shout, but from memory he was asked to do it and said he didn't want it.

I'm still sticking with Barry Hunter who was recruited by Adie Williams as assistant, did 2 games both defeats and disappeared.

I recall Tony Galvin, doing a game at the Hawthorns, where he spent the whole game kind of reclined on the dug out perspex, catching some rays.

PdC's boys at Tranny might take a bit of remembering....Picarretta was 1.

I'm still amazed we were once in a position to pay £400,000 for Darren Bullock.

Even more amazing was that we offloaded him to Bury for £150,000 - and he got sent off in his first game!

How finances for everybody has changed

He intially said 'yes' and then the next day reneged, so I'd argue he counts.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11758/2393176/tuttle-rejects-caretaker-role

Tutts is in then....a dream ticket with Adie and Bazza.

Hugh MaClean mid 70's

I remember a guy whom I played against several times when he played for Park in the Wilts combination, who signed for Town and played several times in the late 70's.Right winger Steve someone.

Abberley.

Right here's a good one, it's been bugging me since the thread came up....made a bit of progress but still not quite there.

Graham Oakey.  He never played a game, we signed him on loan from Coventry, around the turn of the decade 79 into 80, when we were going well in League and both cups so needed an extra body, now Oakey seemingly had been a decent player for Cov, got long term injured and was probably looking for some game time.

I've got a vague memory that he was on the bench perhaps v Wolves in the semi for the home game or maybe v Spurs in the 4th round....either way he never got on and so belongs in the Eddie Howe cupboard of non playing loan curios, don't think Eddie got as far as the bench mind.

Anybody help out with Oakey?

Another one from the same 79/80 season was Brendan Guest on loan from Lincoln

Saw both them but don't recall that name. Checked on wiki says his career finished 1977?

Goalkeeper Richard Key is an interesting one. It was as during the 84-85 season and Kenny Allen was cup-tied and deputy Scot Endersby effectively went on strike so Macari brought in Key on non-contract terms to play in goal in the League Cup against Sheffield Wednesday. Town were bottom tier at the time and Wednesday in the old 1st division.

Swindon won 1-0 and Key had a blinder - a real cup upset too. He played one more game, in the next round of the Cup I think, we lost 6-1 and he never played for us again.

YES!

Ooh...that's a good name. Now you've mentioned it I remember the name, but nothing about the player...I doubt he got a game either.

In years to come people will no doubt consider Harry Agombar to be even more obscure than Milan Misun

Not quite. Abbley.

Rodney Desmeules was a bit of a joke to us kids due to his silly name, plus he was often listed in the programme (this was the days before squads) but we never saw him play. Turns out he played just 4 games between 1966-68.

Weirdly, he is listed as an ex-Swindon Town player in the Notable People section of the Newbury Wikipedia page! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford

Not really obscure, but we can put out a 6 a side team, of players who played their last game for us at Wembley.  The keeper being a man who admittedly not for STFC, did once put on the gloves in a league game.

In the spirit of Bob's Friday quiz, (no google....Swindon-Town-FC etc) who are those 6 men?

Here's a guess

Don Heath played in 69 but not sure if he played for us again

Billy Paynter?

Glenda, obviously

Colin Calderwood??

 Paynter in, Hoddle in, Heath out. Calderwood in

For a Brucie bonus, I want the reluctant keeper and the circumstances, which have a slightly tenuous STFC link  :)

Alan Mac??

I presume the keeper must have been an outfield player taking the gloves after regular GK was sent off/injured

No, neither Alan Mac.  I've found a sub, so we're looking for a 7 man squad  :)

Yep, as I say not for STFC, but the circumstances had a tenuous STFC link.

Oh and originally I said a league game, when it was an FA Cup game

John Cornwell?

David Mitchell?

The fat controller Ross Mclaren?

Edit....nope not his last game.

Hazard?

A good try, Cornwell was on the bench v Blackburn in the PO semi, but didn't get on. His last game was the final league game of the 89/90 season.

Steven Darby?

Yep Darby in...so far then of the 7,  Barn Door Billy, Hoddle, Fridge, Darby.

Danny Ward.

Yep Danny Ward in....Darren was playing for Millwall, sorry missed Dave Mitchell, which is corect, but Mickey Hazard played a few for us in the Prem.

So we want our sub....the other 6, being Hoddle, Fridge, Mitchell, Ward, Darby, Paynter.  Our sub is a good one.

Nobody has had a go at the keeper thing....it's Hoddle, he famously went in goal at Old Trafford, during an FA Cup replay for Spurs, the winner got the right to play STFC in R4.  Glenn, kept them out and Ossie scored the winner.

Thought we were looking for Town keepers

No I said keeper not for STFC, but a tenuous STFC link.

Alessandro Cibocchi?

Is your man... :)

I'm off out, I'll leave you with these two....which STFC player played as many games against Italian opposition as English opposition, and which Oxford player won a medal with STFC as a non playing squad member of a victorious team?

Didn't Mark Jones come to us from Oxford? Was it him?

Edit: or more likely someone who went the other way mid-season? Can't think of any except Lee Cox on loan.

Literally which Oxford player, wasn't our player at any time.

was the goalkeeper who was part of the Anglo Italian Cup squad Mick Kearns of Oxford?

Yeah I remember Mick being a coach for us for a while in the 90s I think, under Mcmahon or Kingy IIRC as well.

Alan Judge.

Yeah....Mick Kearns was yer man.  I'm not sure whether it was a loan as such, as I'm not sure you had loans in 1970.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzvT9m8gk7Y/UaQIC-FrGtI/AAAAAAAAIXY/nes65j3M7_8/s1600/Swindon+1970.jpg)

There's Mick....tall fella between Joey Butler and David Dangerfield.

Mick was an ugly spud of a bloke (no Irish pun intended).

Went on to be a bit of a legend at Walsall....both as a player then back room staff.

I remember Trevor Anderson scoring a hattrick of penalties against him in 76.

He always had a good game against the Town and was a big old unit with a shock of frizzy ginger hair.

I hadn't twigged it was Kearns in goal when Anderson achieved his feat...

I do like that pic....not just because of Mick Kearns, but the random Italian kids in it, maybe the ball boys....and you can tell from the distracted look on some players' faces, that it's kicking off big style somewhere.

Torn between Edwin Murray,Chris Hamon and Austin Berkley for the other answer Reginald

Twas Austin Berkley. Made 6 appearances, 3 v Venezia, Lecce amd Ascoli