On This Day - 19th August

[alanmayes]

I've just been checking Richard's site and found that on this day - August 19th;

Peter Downsborough joined the Town back in 1965.He's along with Digby, the best
keeper i've had the pleasure to watch in a Town shirt.

It's Peter Noble's birthday! What a player he was for us.Heart,skill and determination,
quality,quality player.Peter was an integral part of our success in the late 60's and
culminated in the Wembley 69 win.

[wokinghamred]

Great player , Peter Noble.

I remember him coming on as a sub on his debut in 1968, and the cracker of a goal he scored away at QPR in 1971 running with the ball from the halfway line.

[Reg Smeeton]

 I saw his debut v Scum....the first time they'd been big enough to play us in a league game...it finished 0-0.

 I also saw him ship 5 at Fellows Park a few months later, when he had a mare, including a Sprakesque misthrow of the ball behind him.

 Good old norvern boy, kept racing pigeons.

[janaage]

what was the atmosphere like at the first swindon pox league match then reg?  much of a rivalry or did that develop?

[alanmayes]

The first Town game i ever saw,was when my Dad took me to the Watford game in march 69.
It was effectively the Division 3 championship decider.In many ways i was too young,but begged
my Dad to take me.

I can remember queing up on a saturday evening and with a record attendence we got in late!
All i can remember about the game,was standing on the Stratton Bank and seeing the winning
goal for Watford,by Barry Endean.At the end,i had to endure a Watford fan chanting,"Champions,
Champions".How i hated that and because i was so small,he looked as high as one of the floodlight
pylons! Took an instant liking to Downsborough,but don't remember anything else of the game.

It was the next season,that Peter Noble made an impact on me when we beat Charlton 5 - 0
at home.It was even on a version of MOTD on BBC2 for some reason,with Barry Davies commentating.
It may surprise some,but back then not all Tv's could get BBC2,so i never saw the highlights!
Noble got a hatrick in that game.

The Don of course,also had a great impact on an impressionable,but hugely enthusiastic young fan.

[Reg Smeeton]

what was the atmosphere like at the first swindon pox league match then reg?  much of a rivalry or did that develop?

 No segregation or owt, so no real way of knowing the turnout of away fans, certainly no trouble....O*frod though were a pretty basic bunch of kickers...most notably Ron Atkinson and John Shuker.

 Think it might have started to develop after the away game which we won easliy 3-0 and within the large crew of fans who'd travelled by train...there were some who used the long walk through the city to abuse scum fans and loot shops etc.

 

[Arnold.J.Rimmer]

according to the adver, a year ago today Jim Little became chairman of Swindon Town FC.

[The Professor]

I remember the first game against Oxford.  As said it finished 0-0 in front of a goodish crowd of over 20,000 at the County Ground. They played pretty defensively without offering too much threat although the Atkinson bros had a physical presence in the middle of the park.  The nearest we came to scoring was a run down the right wing & cut inside for a shot from Eric Weaver that went just over the bar - does anyone else remember Eric Weaver?  That was i believe the first home game under Danny Williams (or is my memory playing tricks again?).  There wasn't really much of a feeling of antagonism between the 2 clubs.  I think many of us were intrigued by the prospect of those Johnny come lately's from just down the road.  They'd gained promotion from League 4 & we'd just come down from League 2 so it was just another game. The rivalry developed over the next few seasons. I've never been able to take Ron Atkinson seriously as a player or manager since those days.

[NZrobin]

Eric Weaver represented the RAF prior to joining Swindon. Watched him many times as a youngster.
And yes, I was also on the Stratton bank with my dad that Saturday evening when Watford beat Town 1-0.
We couldn't get BBC 2 either....soapy tit wank
 

[Reg Smeeton]

 Think John Stevens and Roy Jones were another couple of players who played fro the RAF before joining us.

 Stevens, who I thought a good player, I believe was based at Yatesbury. Not a lot there now to suggest aviation activity..

[NZrobin]

Yes..Roy Jones did play for the RAF. Good goal keeper as well...lived in Peter Downsborough's shadow although Downsborough was only little !!!..

[pauld]

according to the adver, a year ago today Jim Little became chairman of Swindon Town FC.

He was never actually chairman, just "chairman designate". Ah, those bizarre "Through the Looking Glass" days of the never-was Portugeezers interregnum. Thank Christ we ducked that one