Thetownend.com

Live on bbc2 at 7. Odds on getting Macclesfield? Are they in the draw I wonder.

Sent from my MotoG3

Bring on the Moors.  FGR in typical Cooper style got knocked out.

Macc are there stuffed North Ferriby.  Whitehawk would be fun....could maybe poach a few players.

We'll lose to Westfields on the telly.

Are they owned by one of the Nevilles or Giggs? If not the Beeb won't be interested.

haha, they avoided our potential banana skin.

And missed out on Taunton :(

Its OK Cheltenham are still in ;)

Oh fuck, Eastleigh away

Eastleigh away then.

Darlo will be happy ;)

Chance of a giant killing....we might win.

James Constable plays for them. Ut-oh

The nearest pubs to the ground are “The Cricketers Inn”( Post Code: SO53 3HN) and the”Fleming Arms” (Postcode:SO18 2QN)

Chance of the telly? What's the away allocation - quite fancy this one.

They're going well, and did well in the FA Cup last year. We're terrible. Kevin Kilbane already called it out. We'll be selected for TV on some channel.

Given that most of the draws are shit, this one isn't the shittiest. It's away, normally you'd want a home draw, but the last thing we need atm. It's not someone from Div 3, which is always dull, as you play them in the league. It's not far for those who want to travel and a new ground, although we may be playing them next season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e1xvyTdBZI

Fleming Arms has to bode well.

I have been to the Cricketers quite a few times when I used to work close by, I would recommend it.

Is their Jack Smith our Jack Smith? Jamie Cureton too.

Cunstable's going to get some frightful stick.

Highlight of the draw was Paul Ince after Millwall v Southend came out. "A London derby"

Not the same Jack, but you're right about the last bit.

Eastleigh fans are a bit twattish apparently, they've spent a lot of money and have a sense of entitlement that's always a bit ridiculous in football. Not a great ground either.

But at least it's only down the road, and they're far below us in the pyramid, so we'll only lose by 1 or 2 :D

Sounds just like those AFC Bournemouth wankers

If it's on telly - hopefully not - it will be some weird and wonderful KO day and time.

Saturday 3.00pm would suit nicely. Their capacity is just under 3,500 I think, so we probably wont get many tickets

I believe we might be entitled to 15%,so around 500.

According to Football ground guide site, it's about 5,200 capacity.
Away fans housed in a 2,000 all seater stand.

Bit of a hike from railway station, although Southampton Airport station is closer.

When we played them in a friendly a couple of years back, I got stick from my stalkers on here, for suggesting they'd be favourites as their wage bill was bigger than ours.  I based this on what Cooper had said....


Eastleigh won 2-0. At the time we had no defenders and used Gladwin there.... will we have any defenders by the time it's played?

I'd imagine they'd have expected to be up by now, so might be finding it difficult to fund getting league football for much longer.

Whoop! I can walk to the game!

Yep, bang on the money as usual.

No doubt you foresaw our subsequent 4th place finish from a mile off.

Haha you know me too well...

I hope I'm off! I'll take the boy.

Oh balls. This has Histon/Macc written all over it.

Maybe I'll see you there then..  :pint:

Christ, I'd forgotten about Histon. Whatever happened to them?

We used to be a good cup team, too.

Our last win/goal in the FA Cup was in 2012 against Wigan, when we were the giant killers.

^ We scored at Rochdale last season.

We used to lose to a non league side, pretty much once a decade, starting in the 30's with a 1-3 home defeat to Southall, although it looks to have got a new name since then...

(http://graceformuslims.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Sign.jpg)

The poor sportsmanship of the Hun, meant that much of the Cup of the 40's was scrapped.  The 50's saw humiliation at Hastings 4-1, although not as bad as events 950 years ago. The 60's was Kettering, but they later got their comeuppance. The 70's was Tooting and Mitcham, followed by Dagenham in the 80's, not to be confused with Dagenham and Redbridge.

90's was the horror show of Stevenage, and the noughties Histon. This decade it's 2 already and chance to add, Crawley and Macc  :(

Almost certainly a defeat.

I'll be there

We could be unbeaten in the league with a centre forward currently on 15+ goals and Eastleigh away would be an unwanted obstacle which would probably end in failure.

Horrible fixture.

Eastleigh's owner is also an Oxford fan who is also an Oxford shareholder, ploughing a lot of money into them each season along with the millions he has put into Eastleigh. It's fair to say that they are going to be up for this one.

This has "upset" written all over it. Hopefully being on telly will be the only saving grace.

Talking of our yellow friends. I've just noticed they are playing 5 miles down the road from my house at Merstham. Choices choices. It must be the smallest place to host a first round game, the high street has no more than 10 shops.

I wanted a League side away...hopefully a good piss up venue....The smoke would of been good.
Not this...
Disaster written all over it.
Maybe we might get lucky, otherwise it's a concentration of staying in this shit league.

Surely being on the box is the last thing we want..... we've lost 4 out 5 in the Cup that have been televised, the sole exception being at away at Conference Crawley, when we got a face saving draw to lose the replay  :(

To be honest, whereas as once I cared about the cup, now I take a leaf out of most of football and don't give a shit. There's not much difference between us and Eastleigh, just like what happened with Crawley we could be playing them next season.

In that Div 4 meeting a few months later, we dispatched the Baggage Handlers, 3 zip at whatever stupid name their dungheap was called at the time.

Mehdi Kerrouche is it it true, ooh ooh ooh...

What about beating Wigan at the CG. That was on TV.

You mean we might win ;)

Only in your Milliganesque, Bed Sitting Room dystopian imagination.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8cCifdjotM/T-ts40XikFI/AAAAAAABG50/x7kcQT7F9Ys/s400/BedSittingRoom%2B%252812%2529.jpg)

It wasn't as it was played at 3pm on a Saturday....unless there was some dodgy stream on the internet.

It was on TV on a foreign channel, along with the game vs Huddersfield the first round that year when we stuffed them 4-1

What was on TV, was Wigan stuffing us 4-1 for a first ever win at the CG, a few months back.  Gary Caldwell played in the cup game, so he probably enjoyed that win.

Tickets available. 1000 allocation

https://eastleighfc.cloudvenue.co.uk/vsswindontown

I think the game against Leicester might have been too, if that was the same year. I remember accidentally stumbling across the Huddersfield game when it was nearly over, and not quite believing it was on TV.

Correct

Not on tv then?

Fuck knows. I got 3 anyway, under an hour for me so I'll be able to go whenever its on.

ST holders with a million points only. They deserve it.

Yeah that was a dodgy channel. Your brother sorted us out a viewing at a dodgy pub in Croydon to watch it, in what was a very liquid afternoon :)

Odd that you can buy tickets already and directly from Eastleigh isn't it?

Found this. Twas on ITV

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ACiTp8yhx5M

It wasn't on ITV.

It was a world feed game and thus on TV abroad, but not here.

Not in the away end, though. Those red blocks for away fans aren't accessible.

http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=46337.0

Indeed.

What about the 2 blue away blocks which are?

I enjoyed the Wigan highlights replay - thanks for posting
Did you notice all the early dangerous crosses - ritchie was class then

Noticed Flint's pen giveaway!

Good to see Town fans on the Bank.

Oooh! Never noticed they. Cheers!

I'll probably go if they don't shift it for TV. Will wait and see what happens with that

Just bought mine
Simple
 :pint:

Seats or terrace? Can't seem to access the standing blocks.

Home end I think, for me.

Away fans have access to blocks 1 and 2 at the mo. That stand is all seater.

just got 4 in Mackoy block 1 :pint: COYR

There are a number of games that get shifted to a Sunday for that BBC 'goals as they go in programme'

As I have to buy train tickets as well I am going to wait until the confirmation of the TV games. Should be plenty of tickets (I guess)

All the away blocks are blocked out.  Can't be sold out already surely?  Anyone else had any joy today?

The guy in the club shop was moaning about it yesterday before the game, saying they basically told them not to do it and they did it anyway.

I bought 3 so not sure whether I'll actually get them... Eastleigh have taken my money so I bloody well hope so....

Swindon have told Eastleigh to stop selling them as Town will sell them directly. Tickets already bought from Eastleigh will be valid and sent from them.

Yep. Just tried to buy from Eastleigh but no joy now.

When will we be selling them. No option yet on the ticketing site.

Reading on their forum they are pretty confident about beating us....bring it on!

Now on BBC on the Friday night then.

Link?

Nah Eastleigh

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/towns-fa-cup-tie-away-at-eastleigh-to-be-shown-live-on-bbc-3374089.aspx

he's thinking of ice hockey

oh...good..or nationally embarrassed. um..

When was the last time we were live on the BBC? Notts County?

To answer my own question, thanks to the brilliant www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk, it was Oxford in 2002.

The Notts County game was actually on Sky.

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/TownOnTV.asp

Any idea what the TV money will be (if any)?

Nah, Oasis

£67,500

http://www.totalsportek.com/money/fa-cup-prize-money/

 :doh:  ffs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37713707

Pub night it is!

Shiiiiiiiitttttttt.

Now clashes with Killing Joke @  Brixton on the 4th.
Decsions, decisions, love of the greatest band in the world v love of the greatest football team in the world.

Fuuuuuuuccccckkkkkkk.

Go to see the band....record the game...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8I3zCQzZx68

I missed seeing one of my favourite bands ever (who only reunited for about 3 shows) to go to our last Wembley debarcle.

Don't be Ells. Go to the gig  :suicide:

Go on then I'll guess. Steps?

Wembley I can understand. first round banana skin cupset on the TV not so much. record it, Google the result. then watch or delete

Ride?

Thats a bit bold isnt it?

Westlife. Boyzone. Take That?

What is it that makes you think I'd be the boyband type?  :D you couldn't be more wrong!

And weren't/aren't ride from Oxford? That would have been bitterly ironic

Yeah Ride are from ox. Is a bit of a conundrum liking them...

You should really only listen to artists who've pledged their allegiance to STFC, Sutton.

Unless you didn't get that cassette I sent you, in which case Ride are okay

I missed the first Ride reunion gig in Oxford as I was a poorly thing.

I was absolutely gutted - Mark Gardener is a proper oxford fan, but being the bigger man, I can look beyond that.

If you can write Vapour Trail you can support who you like.

I had hopes for Gardiner when he scored the winner v Bury about 30 years ago. Went on to have a fairly useful career notably at Torquay and Crewe.....then a spell as manager of Leek Town.  Lovely place Leek.

this one Reg:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gardiner

he finished his playing days at the local league club I helped found. I'd hung up the boots by then though but saw him play, seemed to have acres of space and time even though the legs weren't what they were!

Yep thats Mark, nice bloke, I knew him well when I worked for the club, was very highly regarded by the management but drifted away from the club but had a good career at Crewe as Reg says. Was watched by England U21s manager at the time, good attacking midfielder/striker.

about 1000 Eastleigh tickets that they were expecting today but probably now be Monday according to club shop. Given its live on the telly and on a friday night do you reckon we will sell out?

That rules out Radiohead and Supergrass then.

I suppose that leaves us with XTC and Billy Piper

Jamie Cullum. Jeez.

Gilbert O'Sullivan?

Great Album inner sleeve though.

I think the Town has grown slightly since then

Cozy Powell gives you a full range - Sabbath, Rainbow, MSG, Whitesnake, Brian May group, Jeff Beck eye etc etc
Get those heads banging  :doh: :doh: :doh:

Charred Hearts.
Hamsters from Hell(is Ian Doeser still around)
Skanzters.
Oh Rick Davis, keyboard player in Supertramp :toocool:

Yeah he is

I went to see Supergrass - at Oxford Town Hall no less, on one of the greatest, most emotional nights in our history...when the Fitton consortium rescue deal was announced.  Glued to my phone, I did my cheering that night in all the wrong places.

Just remembering how raw that time was, I give less of an actual toss what formation we play tomorrow.

Coincidentally, Doeser came up in a conversation tonight. It was his foolproof method for avoiding flies. Hang an old kebab up, and they'll be attracted to that rather than you. Genius.

I see the blazers at the FA have negotiated a monster sponsorship deal of £670m over 6 years for the TV rights for the Cup.

Apparently  the Brexit vote was a major factor

Oh come on now, Jesus was born in a stable, doesn't make him a donkey. I can't really see Thom Yorke stood on a wall in a car park watching conference football.

Saw Radiohead in Oxford whilst they were still called 'On A Friday' they were possibly one of the shittest bands I ever saw at the Jericho Tavern, and that's a bloody low bar!

I don't remember the Jericho having an especially low bar :)

.... taxi!!!

We have no chance another loss and embarrassed live on the tv when constable  scores winner.

We've long passed the stage of embarrassment.....as Power said like Cooper before him, Eastleigh have a bigger budget.

Powe We get £67K, so should pay some bills.

Off to the lakes for a long weekend staying with a Luton fan.  If neither of us playing locally then we head to Morecambe or Barrow.  Just seen that Eastleigh are at Barrow so Holker St it is for an amateur scouting trip.

This has Histon away under Malpas written all over it, doesn't it?

We are crap at the moment, but I'm not sure we are Histon away bad.....yet.

The only good thing about that game was it didn't take that long to get home.

The fact they then beat Leeds also meant that most other people forgot about the fact they beat us

I don't really get the embarrassment factor. It's the cup, good teams lose to minnows all the time, and as pointed out they do have reasonable resources (admittedly that does sound like getting your excuses in early :D.) It'll be disappointing more than embarrassing.

Plus, with our injuries the way they are, I wouldn't be too upset to be knocked out early. The last thing we need is for Thompson to run on the pitch and catch bubonic plague (we haven't had that one yet have we? Seems like only a matter of time)

Or get sent off.

Eastleigh, apart from Benny Hill, is famous like Swindon for its railway works....they churned out Southern Railways cack, not really fit to share the same rails as the Great Western, so a bit embarrassing.

Amazingly, part of the Eastleigh works still houses railway usage.....we've got some shops.  :(

Rons Stores will do for me.

Of course we have a chance, not much of one, but a chance. Its on TV because the chance of an upset is a distinct possibility. Losing won't be an embarrassment, being second best for 90 mins and getting stuffed will.

Under the present circumstances (injuries and generally being crap), getting a replay will be an achievement.

500 tickets sold so far. Surprisingly, 111 sold for Scunny and 87 fuckers for Exeter!

It'll be a new ground for a lot of people, that always bumps ticket sales.

Trying to wangle time off to go. Unfortunately bought tickets direct from Eastleigh when the game was still on Saturday.

Went to watch Salisbury there in an FA Cup qualifier a few years back. Clubhouse was decent. Salisbury scored in the last minute to go through. Going again, so hope the luck continues.

Going to both must make me a surprising fucker then.  :)

Fucking fair play  for that. Couple of friends I go with are off to Scunny as well.

Mad fuckers!

I went Scunny last year, couldn't make myself go this year. I can still see Belford's goalkeeping and our defending in my nightmares.

Don't fuck about with that, get yourself up Helvellyn

I suspect Barrow is my local club now, must try and get to a game sometime

I'd like to see Barrow back in the FL.  Very hard done by, they finished 3rd from bottom in 71/72, yet were voted out.

Stockport and Crewe finished below them and by current rules would have taken the Oxford/Bristol Rovers into non league.

Fred Else's goalkeeping performance in 67 when Barrow won at the CG...was at the time widely regarded as the finest ever seen by a visiting custodian.

Wash your mouth out Reg. Eastleigh gave us the Tadpoles that used to ply the Reading to Tonbridge line. Old skool DMUs

http://www.bloodandcustard.com/tadpoles001.html (http://www.bloodandcustard.com/tadpoles001.html)

Remember that well, brilliant.
Only slightly above Peter Downsborough on his return with Bradford.

I thought you lived in Lancaster or did I imagine that?

Downs borough was amazing that evening. We battered them and lost 1 0 and downsborough chaired off the pitch by the town end.

Did until earlier this year, now moved up into the south lakes, about half way between Barra and Lancaster.

A decent enough loco....but more Southern Region (BR) than Southern Railway. Nice read though, I like the attention to detail.

I'd rather have a Southern engine than nothing at all, and I suppose with hindsight there was a certain charm about them, nevertheless, for aestetics and efficiency you can't beat the GWR.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/W8FreshwaterKingscote.JPG/220px-W8FreshwaterKingscote.JPG)

I missed that one....must have been amazing.   Bantams had the wonderfully named Ces Podd playing for them.

I'll ask my Dad

Oh, come on Reg, the Bulleid Pacifics were like the Space Shuttle of their day? West Country, Battle of Britain and particularly the heavy Merchant Navy classes. Even as a GWR admirer they were pretty fabulous, they look like they are made of man sized Meccano - as revolutionary as the Gresley streamliners

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Wadebridge_%28530149724%29.jpg)

 I remember being out at Fairford when the Space Shuttle landed on the back of a 747.....some time in the early 80's. Being a child of Sputnik and Telstar...I wanted to get close up to this bit of kit.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/f8de8e8ce4e43b27d4477d5fa1c9b386b9377f9e.jpg)

Very impressive....the Americans have lost their way since.

May 83 Reg. Only a couple of years after its first flight. A big deal back then, we were allowed to watch the first flight on TV at primary school.

Have a vague memory of seeing it fly over on the jumbo, but in truth it could have been from TV pictures.

Eastleigh getting stuffed 3-0 at Barrow at the moment - saving themselves for next week

Lost 4-0. Jamie Cureton was up front for Eastleigh.

If nothing else , I want to see Branco cut that cunt in half!

Alas, Cureton is cup-tied.

Perhaps a skuffle in the tunnel?

Would Constable do?

Absolutely... If he plays, he didn't feature today.

Is that like a scuffle, but played on a washboard? (One for the teenagers there :) )

Yep. Bruce Welch will officiate while Mark Kermode will review.

Is it to early to find odds on the Eastleigh game?

Backed by derek guyler (for the older generation)

Arrived at Barrow at 1.30 for couple of pints before game only to discover it was a 12.15 kickoff.  Fucking BT Sport.

Had to hot foot it to Morecambe instead.  One consolation was to discover that Swindon are nowhere near being the worst team in the league.  Morecambe were really awful.

As things stand we'll be re-acquanting ourselves with Morecambe next season.  At least the KO time was for TV.  My chum turned up for the recent Bolton game, just in time to see them score and Branco get a red.   He made the elementary mistake of thinking games KO at 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon if it's not on TV.

9/5 on skybet but check out betfair also

Betfred have odds up already too

850 tickets sold. None too shabby, considering.

Any thoughts as to STFC's line up v Eastleigh?  I hear that Furlong and possibly NT are suspended.  I'd quite like to see a back four with a midfield diamond now that Doughty is fit.  Kasim is also crap in a 4-2-3-1.

                                           Vigouroux
        Barry              Branco                     Jones                Brophy (if fit)
                                             Kasim
                      Thomas                                   Doughty
                                             Murray
                             Delfouneso/             J.Stewart/
                             Norris                     Goddard

Furlong is, Thompson isn't

Considering the stupid KO time and being live on the BBC thats really good.

I think this could be the first time that I can remember us being on TV and the giants of the tie (allegedly) for a cup tie as we are usually the giantkillers(!).

Which with the way British football fans are - that means that probably 99% of the viewers will be hoping we lose the game, all hoping for the lower league team to cause an upset, which is pretty likely TBF.

I did not realise it was on the BBC, assumed it would be Sky or something, until my Father in Law pointed it out yesterday, now our ritual humiliation will be clear for all to see!

This is my concern! who knows...maybe we will surprise even our own fans :)

Think no further than the last time the Beeb had us live in the FA Cup, when our Div 3 giants succumbed, to the plucky minnows of Div 4, for proper national humiliation. The Crawley game was on BT or similar, and we didn't lose until untelevised replay.

Crawley was on ESPN! Possibly the coldest game I've ever been to

The replay at home was colder and went to extra time if I remember correctly as well just to make the suffering even worse.

I had easily forgotten that as I never watched it and was out of the country at the time so it didn't even register, but I also actually meant on proper national TV not BT or Sky and against non-league opposition too.

Mine was one of the games against Bolton in a cup game in the 80s. Back in the days when we had replays we played them 4 times, I think, before eventually beating them and I remember one of the games was unbelievably cold.

Leyton Orient in the Cup was my coldest I think, got abandoned in the 2nd half when the terraces began to freeze over.

edit:  seems they claimed it was the pitch, could have sworn the risk to supporters was mentioned.  The replayed game had only £1 knocked off the price of the terraces and £2 for seats - so it's always been thus that people pay! (ok, the prices were probably only £8 anyway :-) )

 Sadly in these days of climate change and not getting past the first week if November in Cups, the peculiar pleasures of proper brass monkey night games have become a thing of the past.....like the hooter, the stink of Coopers, and the hot sweet tea vendor.

Jan 87, Fulham away in 3rd round was a bit bracing.

We played 64 games that season.

Lots of hooter blowing at the beerex last Friday Reg - the bloke on the valve was really enjoying himself

We still seemingly play Oldham every year (although it's touch and go for next season I suppose)

 :nod:

Where did you get the 850 tickets sold which is great if true but the club told me at lunchtime they has sold between 400 -500 tickets

Unfortunately I have some sad memories of the first round of the FA cup.

Hitchen, Borehamwood, Dagenham. All away all lost.

Better memories of the league cup. 1979 = Wimbledon away, Arsenal twice and Wolves in the semi,

1985 Ipswich away took 6000 fans when we were in Div 4

Ticket office said that had sold 650 and 200 were bought directly from Eastleigh before we told them to stop.

haha, I went to this, was it a replay as it was on a tuesday night :hmmm: wasn't it 6.0

6-1 ;) Key in goal and what an atmosphere it was that night, we had more than half the crowd IIRC.

Yes. We got hammered but the atmosphere was superb.

Our goal was an own goal as well, if my memory serves me right.

Sent from my SM-G935F

As things stand, Oldham could become the only side we've played in all 4 tiers of English football.  We've played Wimbledon in Div's 1,3 and 4, but never 2.

Where do you get all these stats from!!  Never considered before that we've never played any other club in all 4 divs.

Presumably we have a lot of 2/3/4 clubs and a fair few 1/2/3 but you cite Wimbledon because it's the only one which includes 1 & 4?

We've played Sheffield United, Norwich, Coventry,  Leeds, QPR & Oldham in 1/2/3.. Maybe Sheff Weds & Southampton too?... and Oxford, Grimsby, Stockport, Port Vale,  Crewe, Bradford in 2/3/4... At least in my lifetime, from memory. There's probably more.

This is more fun than the game's going to be tomorrow!

 :idea:  it just pops into my head.  TBF a lot less now than it used to.  The Wimbledon thing, just because Div 1 was the "rogue" season, and most of the teams we played are still at a high level.

Maybe the old Southern League should be included, those were the days...

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/LeagueTable.asp?CompCode=LGE&Tier=3SL&Season=1910-1911

That's brilliant Reg, almost worth getting relegated for :D

If Coventry could join us, then we'd have played them in all 4 tiers + the Southern League.

Reg, you are a national treasure. Well, certainly a local one :)