Personal encounters with Town players, past and present.

[Munichred]

Dave Moss and Dave Syrett.

In the 70s I played for the Swindon Town Supporters Club Cricket team. We played in the local Thursday evening league and had a few weekend games too. For one season Dave Moss and Dave Syrett played for us. Both were friendly guys and joined in with all the usual banter. Dave Moss was a very good left-hand batsman and right-hand fast bowler, also bowling the occasional over of leg-spin. Dave Syrett was a stylish right-hand batsman and medium pace bowler.

During the year they played for us we got to the final of the evening league knockout cup. Each team bowled 10 eight-ball overs, bowled by 10 different players. In the semi-final, played at the Wills cricket ground, we batted first. Dave Moss came in on the last ball of the first over and was out off the last ball of our innings, having scored 80 runs from our total of 105.

Before the final was played the Town players had started pre-season football training, and our Daves weren't allowed to play in case they got injured.  Without our two stars we were stuffed by 10 wickets :-(

There was an article about Dave Syrett's family in the Western Morning News last December.  http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/footballer-s-family-simply-mad-Seat/story-25149004-detail/story.html

[horlock07]

I remember being very excited about Dave Moss in my Pannini 'football 84' sticker book as he was born in Witney!

[Peter Venkman]

I spent one night in hospital in the next bed to Kenny Stroud about 15 years ago, we had about a 2 hour long chat about his Town and shitty days.

[jimbob]

I used to go in kammys shop in Bathurst road as a kid when I lived in Gladstone street...I recall him having a red setter...so to speak

[Nemo]

Matt Hewlett came in to my Uni shop when I was working there five or so years back. I think he was selling sandwiches for his brother's company or something similar.

[Bewster]

I used to play in the same team as Lou Macari's son so met him quite often and occasionally he used to come along and train us.

Most recently met Super Sam at the back of the Arkells, got my son's picture with him.

[Tails]

Nathan and Louis Thompson use the restaurant in the building I work so I see them quite a lot. Spoke to them earlier actually!

[jimbob]

Was in Hardings in the 90s and remember telling lee Collins he could be good if he wasn't such a headless chicken...
Also saw fjortoft and nijholt in cairos and told them how great I thought they both were(jan must have scored by then)

[tans]

Weed on Joey Beauchamps foot once in a nightclub toilet in Oxford. True story. Then he got all stroppy and started giving it the old 'dont you know who i am?'

Saw Ralphy and Nathan Byrne have a dance off the other week

[Peter Venkman]

I used to go in kammys shop in Bathurst road as a kid when I lived in Gladstone street...I recall him having a red setter...so to speak

I used to deliver Kammys Gazetter & Herald when I was about 11 or 12, nice bloke always said hello but I was too scared to speak to him about footbakll back then.

[dogs]

Quite a few to be fair.

Used to live down Shrivenham Road and I would often see the town players around the County Ground extension. We used to raid the bins at the end of the season for thrown at boots and footballs! Quite a few Mitre Deltas and Puma Kings were binned! We also used to play the youth team who lived in that house at the time by Stratton Bank, Jamie Pitman used to play quite a bit and we thought he was sh1te.

When town started training at the BR Ground, they had some youth team goals which we used to use. One afternoon in pre-season the first team turned up when McMahon was manager. He was pretty fuming we were using the goals and made up take them back to another part of the field. Always remember the whole squad being silent when they were warming up and watching me and mate lumber a goal across the field.

Have had a few encounters on nights out. Aaron Brown and Leroy Lita were in the Apartments in town, and Aaron Brown got all funny when I said it was an unlucky defeat that day. Think we had lost to Grimsby 1-0.

Got a cab home with Charlie Comyn-Platt and Andy Nicholas after I steamingly convinced them that I was a trainee journalist. To be fair they subbed me the fare.

Remember seeing David Lucas, Scott Cuthbert and Alan O’Brien in the Spot and I couldn’t believe how much of a muscular beast O’Brien was. It was the year we got relegated under Hart and he basically called me a mug for having a season ticket, and I suppose he was right. He did get a couple of Jagers in though.

Cuthbert was adamant we weren’t going down, and I suggested that they should play some Slipknot in the dressing room before games to liven it up a bit. Obviously didn’t , as we may well have stayed up.

Last year on a stag do I ended up sitting next to Paul Bodin at the Froch boxing match at Wembley, so had a good old chat to him and pointed out that it was 21 years ago to the day that he scored the penalty in the Old Wembley to get to the prem.

[jimbob]

Played against Charlie Austin (he was about 15) in a cup final when he was playing for kintbury rangers...I've still got the yellow A4 one page program.
Not so much of a claim to fame was playing against Gary Elkins...I think I was just about quicker than him as he must have been 15ish stone

[horlock07]

Weed on Joey Beauchamps foot once in a nightclub toilet in Oxford. True story. Then he got all stroppy and started giving it the old 'dont you know who i am?'

Saw Ralphy and Nathan Byrne have a dance off the other week

I recall I may have done the same in a pub toilet in Oxford (cannot remember which one but it was on the High Street.

Also when I used to drink regularly in Witney (cough 20 years ago!) a girl I knew was at it with Wayne O'Sullivan - he never seemed to venture to Witney though!

[fuzzy]

Not player but our Premiership manager John Gorman.

Walking along Piccadilly in London with SWMBO when we spied a bloke walking towards us. He looks familiar thinks we. he looks at us either like a) he recognizes us or b) (and more likely) wondering who the fuck the knobbers were that were staring at him

Twigged it was The Man himself so said hello. He stopped for a chat and a trip down memory lane. Bloody nice bloke.

[Flashheart]

Calin Calderwood once said 'howdydoody' to me once when I was getting tickets at the CG.

When I was once walking past the CG with a cig, John Gorman told me that smoking was bad for my health. No mention of the coke and E's though, but then he may not have noticed.

I think that's about it.