Thetownend.com

(A) Supermarine - Wednesday 5 July, 7.45pm
(A) Melksham - Saturday 8 July 3pm
(A) Corsham - Tuesday 11 July 7:30pm
(A) Bristol City - Tuesday 18 July, 12.30pm (behind closed doors but on 'Robins TV')
(A) Hereford - Tuesday 18 July, 7.30pm
(A) Eastleigh - Saturday 22 July 1pm
(H) Plymouth - Satturday 29 July 3pm




"Whattaya hear, whattaya say?"

Last few preseasons have been pretty dire. On top of the usual Supermarine and Melksham local away games we've had the likes of Harrogate and Woking at home.

Any chance we get something a tad more interesting this year? Maybe a Southampton at home or something?

Or another Weymouth away.

A foreign team at home would be nice.

Devon/Somerset teams please, maybe Dorset too, give me a chance of getting to them. #selfishfucker

Would take that to be honest.

Like Sporting De Gijon a whole 2 decades ago. Remember 'Super Sammy Parkin' chant starting that game for the first time.

We’ve already got Wrexham to look forward to, how many more do you want ??.

Ungrateful bastard, we had a foreign team last August. Second biggest team in their country.

I'm lost on that one.

Something I never knew.....same year we played Sporting De Gijon, we played Kenya at home behind closed doors.

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Results.asp?Friendly=YES&Season=2002-2003

Would definitely qualify as 'interesting'

Cardiff ??.

Well that got wiped from my memory. Surely they're the biggest in their country.

Newport?

Flynn has Arteta's phone number!🙂

a not too distant never heard of non league team please. A brimscombe and thrupp type

Not with Wreck somes rise.

Revive the games vs Fairford and Cirencester and also Calne, Chippenham and Witney type early pre season games.

We always had about 8 to 10 games pre season with the first 6 or so being very local ones against very lower league very local opposition.

nah, that's boring (ciren + fairford)

obviously need some league oppo, though I don't usually care about that

We always played 5 or 6 local sides then did a couple further away near the seaside/abroad/Scottish and finished off with 2 or 3 higher league/foreign sides at the CG.

Copa Ibiza repeat please.

Liverpool?

We had Swansea in July but it was cancelled.

1985
(https://i.postimg.cc/05DcJK5D/85.png)
1986
(https://i.postimg.cc/3JZ1tMvw/86.png)

Proper pre season mix back then.

Gonna struggle with that one....   :cry:

Used to enjoy going to Witney for pre season games back in the 80s and 90s, always lots of Pox fans there too. Unfortunately many old teams are going by to wall now.

I hope Hullavington get into league 2.

Hopefully Flynn will be able to get the players away somewhere for pre-season to help with the team bonding and fitness - maybe a Macari esc army camp

Always disappointed with how little we do with the Forces TBH. Get them down to Warminster/Tidworth for a pre season thrashing! Some very cheeky runs over the Plain to be done.

I read somewhere that Flynn loves pre-season and he often arranges games and sets up training to ensure that the players are fatigued during pre-season matches.



















 ;)

not sure it's worth a new thread:

Fixture Release Date – Thursday 22 June 2023, 9am
Start Date – Saturday 5 August 2023 (with a likely live game on Friday 4 August)
Carabao Cup Round One – w/c 7 August 2023
Carabao Cup Final – Sunday 25 February 2023*
EFL Trophy Round One – w/c 4 September 2023
EFL Trophy Final – Sunday 7 April 2024
League One Play-Off Final – Saturday 18 May 2024
League Two Play-Off Final – Sunday 19 May 2024
Championship Play-Off Final – Sunday 26 May 2024

* they mean 2024

Was only this time last year I was having a look on swindon-town-fc.co.uk at where we've done pre-season before (well bit later last year as we were in the play offs). Went back and had another look as a reminder.

Championship play off final a week later than the others. What utter shit, that weekend is one of the best weekends of the season with all the finals!

I remember a pre season game away to non-league Forest Green, Duncan Shearer's first game.

Mid to late 70's Ayr United at home!

Shame it's so expensive to get away and abroad these days for these things

I have just arranged pre season in spain for one football club and it's around £20k

Yeah that is bollocks.

I remember we'd play little non league Yeovil in the 90s every season and pump them by 6 or 7 every time. Then they were a league team, then they were above us in The Championship and now they're back to being non league again.

What a rollercoaster.

I wonder if any Town fans made it to South America for the tour in 1912.
Probably would have found something to complain about if they did!!

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Results.asp?Friendly=YES&Season=1912-1913

http://gottfriedfuchs.blogspot.com/2012/11/swindon-town-tour-of-argentina-and.html

Come on Clem, dig deep.

The three month ferry home probably wouldn't have been ideal.

Lots of goals for Archie Bown on that tour - I wonder if he's a relative, my mother's maiden name is Bown and it's hardly common(that's a hundred password security questions given away!)

Bloody hell I missed that one. How random. Some good results there, not that I've heard of any of the teams.

I like that he started his career at Swindon Casuals, I like to think they were proper nawty wearing Stone Island!

Maybe not Stone Island but Burberry would have been around then and a fairly new brand.

Pretty sure Burberry in those days were more likely to be providing waterproofs to Shackleton than kitting out the local scallies of the day!

I wonder if Scott and Oates were town fans?  :sherlock:

Fuck me, I take it back. I thought we played Cardiff. Senile dementia come early.

Lets get something in Ireland or Scotland please.

People now know my name at Supermarine FFS!

We did play Cardiff LL.

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Results.asp?Friendly=YES&Season=2022-2023

I can stop the meds now?

Didn't we do Lake Garda at some point?

To answer mt own question - was the Di Canio season, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlZ1GrU4fUA

Our tour of Austria when Fenerbahce held the mighty Swindown to a draw. Best bit at 56 seconds in.

https://youtu.be/GXlINN4UHTs

Looking back at these, are the last two seasons our worst ever pre-season fixtures?! Prepared to give 2021/22 a bit of a free pass given the situation, but this season's was unforgivably shit.

Aberdeen and Clem need to understand that a couple of decent glamour fixtures can be a factor in shifting season tickets. A cheap day in the sun during the school holidays at home to a Premier League or big Championship side might just hook a few people.

But we were fatigued against Supermarine!

I think we are all fatigued now...

Up the Swindown. 

Think Roberto Carlos played that game.

And Mateja kezman

Sounds like from the Wednesday Night Panel that Flynn will have a few more pre-season games than the new normal, as he is big on fitness. Music to my ears. I assume the balls won't be out in the first session this preseason. Last couple of seasons we've had 5 and 6 which is pretty poor really.  

To get an idea as to what is more normal in years gone by. Year we went to Austria (wembley bobble seaason), we had 8 on UK soil on top of the 3 games there. Copa Ibiza year we went up under Sturrock, 6 on UK soil on top of the 2 in Ibiza. In 19/20 we had 10 games.

I'd at least like to see us at least get properly round the local region like we used to, with a good 6 or 7 local away games (Supermarine, Salisbury, Hungerford, Melksham, Chippenham, Cirencester, etc.)

Add to that then a couple of solid home friendlies against higher league opposition at home (Birmingham, Cardiff, Swansea, Southampton, etc.)  

This sort of preseason should be the bare minimum and we've been getting less than that the last few seasons.

The squad needs to be fit and needs to be used to playing games in several systems. This season was just a case of pissing in to the wind and hoping for the best and Lindsey and Sandro can share than blame.

Yeah... Can't imagine Flynn will be too interested in how we "play when fatigued".... as per Lyndsey vs Supermarine last year...mother fuckers shouldn't be getting 'fatigued' in the first place 🤦

Bristol City at home would be tasty

Hereford away

Tuesday 18th July – Swindon Town  – 7:30pm

https://www.herefordfc.co.uk/news-pre-season-friendlies/ (https://www.herefordfc.co.uk/news-pre-season-friendlies/)

I guess what type of team we'll take will be more apparent as other fixtures roll in

It looks like we're going down the same route as last season by playing fatigued as we're due to play Bristol City the same day as Hereford.

https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/pre-season-fixtures-announced/

thanks


oooh. £5 to dream a friendly. fuck off on principle

But they can come true Batch. :)

whatamistaketomake

rumours of QPR and Plymouth too.

reckon we'll publicise before or after it's played?

We may end up with several games in one day.

That was a total guess, I hadn't read this page yet  :D.

soapy tit wank

Lindsey's legacy lives on!

club confirmed:

 @SupermarineFC - 5 July, 7.45pm
🛣️ @BristolCity - 18 July, 12.30pm
🛣️ @HerefordFC - 18 July, 7.30pm

QPR away please

Bristol City away at their training ground......that's no fun🤣

could be, if rumours are right

Melksham away on 8th July as well - 3pm ko

How does one watch 'Robins TV'

Fucking wankers weren't even the robins until the 70s.

Oooh! Just down the road for me.

I think we'll see an "Arsenal X1"

ITK or random guess?

If true it wouldn't be any different from a Pizza Trophy game

Got me Melksham tickets!

You come across any Bristol fans around your way

I had a few in Corsham last night and there were a few mouthy Gasheads outside the Royal Oak when I walked past. No idea if they were local or just drop ins. Always used to be mostly Swindon around these ‘ere parts.

I did suspect there would be a few around even though it's still Wiltshire

I think Corsham became more Gas when they moved to Twerton back in the 90s for a while, the fanbase seemed to migrate.

Growing up it was just a tiny smattering of Gas and Teds. Looks like in the intervening years I’ve been away - 50 odd - that might have changed!

Back in the late 80's early 90s Rovers didnt have enough stewards so they regularly asked Swindon to hire us.

I stewarded 3 games at Twerton as an "on hire" Steward (not to mention away games, Lords, The Oval and Wembley which we also stewarded, as Swindon was respected as having one of the highest rated Stewards in the league back then).

I remember was in front of about 3 or 4 Corsham Gas flags in the corner of the Rovers fans.

Yer the Royal Oak is always has a few knob heads lurking around, you check out the Flemish Weaver, went back in for the first time in years! Very quirky!

Was in there last night. My brother was the manager up until a few months ago.

We're heading to @CorshamTownFC for our third friendly of pre-season, on Tuesday 11th July.

⬇️ Tickets are available to purchase now!
---------------------

not sure I've been there before..

Pre-season games are great if fans can go along and watch unlike the Bristol City game behind closed doors.

Edited first post but filling up nicely without even a home game yet.

(A) Supermarine - Wednesday 5 July, 7.45pm
(A) Melksham - Saturday 8 July 3pm
(A) Corsham - Tuesday 11 July 7:30pm
(A) Bristol City - Tuesday 18 July, 12.30pm (behind closed doors but on 'Robins TV')
(A) Hereford - Tuesday 18 July, 7.30pm

Are we expecting any games at home against higher league opposition.

Yay!

Yes

Qpr and Plymouth i heard

Cheers Tans :clap:

Shaping up nicely and good to see it being done early as Last seasons pre season was a fucking shambles. Not only was it shorter than usual, we only played 5 or so games compared to the 9ish you normally play, felt like we was still in pre season for August in all with the ‘fatigued ’performances.

QPR seems a solid choice. That would take us to 7 with two home games to higher teams. Get a few more on there and you've got a really solid pre-season.

haha, that's so funny that you move to Corsham and you get a pre-season friendly in your backyard (not literally I assume). Happy days Aud!

He'll be in the Corsham end  ;)

https://www.corshamtownfc.co.uk/Matchreport.aspx?id=649874

Wasn't this the team we lost to in the final of the Wiltshire Shield?

Corsham Ultras.

‘You’re gunna get your f**king head kicked in’.

Nah, that was Westbury. Corsham was one missed penalty away from Wembley this year in the FA Vase.

Corsham had a great season too finishing 3rd in the Hellenic Premier losing only 3 games and finishing on 91 points in the same league as Wootton Bassett, Wantage and Fairford.

It's OK, I'll be stood behind  Knoll Jutty  :)

Shame its not in a couple of weeks time, we are staying in Corsham for a week

The ground is more than a stroll from the nearest pub and parking will be a bitch.

Westbury United was who I was referring to. It appears they lost 3-0 at home to Corsham Town veterans a few days before we played them.

It's less than a mile to the Royal Oak from the ground!

Bollocks is it.

Nearest is the Methuen Arms in the town. Probably similar to having a drink in Old Town and walking to the CG.

Follow the blue line

Jesus that's about 1000 yards/0.6 miles (according to google maps :) )

That might be a mere hop, skip and jump for you young ‘uns, but for us OAPs it’s a fucking long way on a zimmer!

haha - you should get yourself a mobility scooter Aud!!

 :car:

Corsham cricket club is always good for a pint, cheaper then the Methuen, same walking distance, and you might even catch the end of a game.

We're heading to @EastleighFC for the second year in a row!

👏 Tickets for our friendly with the Spitfires will be free for both sets of supporters and available in due course.


22nd July, 1pm

Pitch renovation has started:

Day 1

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1660669354449436672?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg


Day 2

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1661037391409299456?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

Well done for posting. I hope there’s more to come. Be interesting to know how much money it’s costing?

Was on the pitch at the weekend and the state of those sprinkler heads for a pro pitch was shocking - how we didn't get more injuries due to exposed rubber pipes (sprinkler surrounds sitting above the level of the pitch is beyond me.  I know it was after end of season, and you could see during the season they were managing them due to the two distinct markings on the pitch - but it is obvious they are well overdue replacing - probably goes a long way to explaining the decline in our pitch over the last couple of seasons.

Thought the pitch looked tip top at the end of the season - as it always does.

The past 2 seasons it has deteriorated significantly, even to the point where at the start of the Garner season we were struggling to avoid getting the first game of the season postponed.

There were some well documented off season reasons for the deteriation, but having seen the state of the irrigation system showing through the surface at the weekend, it's clear that there were lack of investment issues as well, legacy of the remnants of the previous owner circling the plug hole no doubt.

Didn't they spend a fortune on it in the summer between Power and Clem, I only remember as I thought at the time that the contractor doing it was very brave considering it was public knowledge that Power was trying to put the business into admin if he didn't get his way, albeit I assume they only did it with the money up front!

They spent on it with a contractor in Marcus's absence, but not necessarily a fortune.  They ended up having to bring in a pitch expert (the guy that used to look after Leicester's pitch and do all of the mental patterns) who helped them get it ready for the season - that wasn't cheap for sure.

I think little positive investments/improvements like this slightly alleviate immediate concerns about Clem’s intentions.

Here for the long haul.

We did do this sometimes under Power too :) Well the scrape and relay.

The irrigation looked a bit off in that sometimes they literally had to stamp on it to get it to retract at half time.

Its good its being addressed.

So we are told!

Can’t keep expecting the worst.

It’s a hard habit to break after 30+ years of largely “the worst” on the ownership front!

Agree, credit it where its due.

The penny pinching rightly gets called out, it is refreshing to see some investment into the playing surface.

Today’s post:

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1661395963284533248?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

The landlord a few years ago was a gas head so a lot of fans started drinking in there. At one point he was wearing a neck brace/frame thing and was still lording it around and necking pints which kind of sums up the clientele it attracted. I’ve considered it a rovers pub since and a few still go there. Probably the worst pub in the centre of Corsham tho.

Clem went to a Corsham match during this season and apparently was talking about setting up a connection between the clubs and to loan players too, and Corsham have done the ground up in preparation for promotion (if they can get it) so not surprised to see a friendly being arranged. Decent bar/club house at the ground too, pool tables etc.

OnLy dOIng thE miDdlE peNNy pInChinG cRoOks

Two today. He must have seen reeves4england’s post! 😀

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1661755151760359424?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg


https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1661760842491129857?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

For Sale: One dented and rusty watering can. £5 will throw in rusty bucket with a slight leak FOC.

(https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/349843540_781731986679093_1565189359262439533_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=ai8RhtGIaDkAX_ofgIs&_nc_ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&oh=00_AfCJ_IUNQl7xZCnwk7i73pSAAKGe3l8TUEqixZTZKkrHbA&oe=6475F46F)

Highworth Town away - 15th July

Kick off time? Can't see it announced.

2pm

Pitch renovation Day 5

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1662117464602206210?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

When we going to see the under soil heating pipes😀

it's more likely to be a hypocaust

Where's the Romans when you need them😆

Isn’t being a fan strange. After a stupefyingly meh season, I’m already looking forward to the next - probably as I’ll actually be able to attend for the first time in years.

It is strange but TBH I doubt its the ability to actually go its the blindless optimism that things COULD be great in the coming season, something most of us feel until actually proven opposite!

Was talking to Batch and NMH about this very thing last week and I cant help but be expectant for the coming season and miss Swindon football Saturdays already!

Partly though I think some of that is having Flynn in charge, its the massive element of the unknown.

I think it’s not that blindless next season. Ditched the tippy tappy stuff, pragmatic manager, new players (yay). I just pray he starts off well cos the bellends will soon jump on him.

Absolutely agree.

 Pitch renovations catch-up:

https://twitter.com/CassidyMarcus/status/1662363883271602177?s=20

https://twitter.com/CassidyMarcus/status/1662766023718707200?s=20

https://twitter.com/CassidyMarcus/status/1663162640456114177?s=20

https://twitter.com/CassidyMarcus/status/1663514549394329601?s=20

https://twitter.com/CassidyMarcus/status/1663547079682330624?s=20

Love seeing all the pitch stuff, some investment in the systems finally, hope it pays off!

He's very clearly been fantastic at his job for many years, great that he's been given furthur tools to do an even better job going forward.

Today’s pitch activity….

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1663823076088332288?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1663847213896794112?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

Day 11 of pitch renovation.

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1664199036843307011?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

 https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1664575998753423362?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

Plymouth home friendly

Sat 29 July, 3pm

And it looks lie that's over and out. underwhelming

Good number of away fixtures. Would have liked one better home tie.

Probably more about numbers than it is anything else and there is enough of them now.

(A) Supermarine - Wednesday 5 July, 7.45pm
(A) Melksham - Saturday 8 July 3pm
(A) Corsham - Tuesday 11 July 7:30pm
(A) Bristol City - Tuesday 18 July, 12.30pm (behind closed doors but on 'Robins TV')
(A) Hereford - Tuesday 18 July, 7.30pm
(A) Eastleigh - Saturday 22 July 1pm
(H) Plymouth - Satturday 29 July 3pm


Is this them all then? Not as many as I thought actually. Would like another home tie at least.

And bigger teams wanting to play us (or not) we don't really have a 'big' neighbour to play and the big boys tend to piss off somewhere emerging, lucrative and hot these days.

And the police not wanting us to play anyone that local. The 'preseason friendly' vs Cardiff, kickoff moved forward on police advice always makes me chuckle.

That’s the complete schedule according to the clubs latest tweet. I’ll do Supermarine and Plymouth I expect - shame Hereford is midweek.

Presume the pitch renovations has curtailed the home friendlies.

I can’t think of too many recent seasons where we have had more than one home friendly. Did we play Everton and West Brom around 2016 sort of time?

I guess it has, they may have wanted another one but can’t announce it if the pitch isn’t going to be ready

This is it, I think we really struggle with geography here, we ain't going to play Oxford or any either of the Bristol teams (except BCD), Reading isn't going to inspire anyone and who else is there?

Similar to Barrow round here who have Holker Old Boys, FCU Manchester Oldham and Newcastle under 21's (who I imagine equally struggle to find people to play pre-season).

Look, all I want from pre-season is a raft of trialists and the excitement of working out who someone is from a picture of the back of their head 50 yards away.

It is two Championship teams tbf. Just a shame that one is behind closed doors and the other is Plymouth.

yeah, and I'd expect that to be the stronger fixture than the City on the same day. Surely that's not City's first team?

Supermarine and Melksham are great local clubs but I'm bored of them! They do have strong ties with us I suppose.

Can't be arsed to traipse to Eastleigh, i'd imagine.

Just wanted a couple of local different grounds. Like when we did Brimscombe and Thrupp.
------
But hey, its all personal opinion ain't it. Looking at Plymouth's pre-season its just the same.

Didn't we even play Liverpool that year? Well.. a Liverpool XI at least....

Around 15,000 sell out too

Thank God... I didn't dream it🤣... I remember thinking at the time that all those home fixtures v Prem opposition were all pretty meaningless... I mean even more meaningless than other friendlies... could have probably got a better workout against FL or deecent NL opposition...

Southampton and West ham in the invincibile year?

Tottenham and someone.. Birmingham?

we played twice on successive nights

Wasn't it the case that the home team would have to fork out a fee to host more illustrious opposition in preseason?

Bigger the name the larger the fee, but more chance of offsetting with a bigger attendance.

yeah, at least that's what I remember

wonder how much we're getting from Plymouth 😁

:D

I remember playing West Ham one year, and thinking all of their players were physically much bigger and stronger than us.

Don't forget we had a decent workout against Supermarine and ended up fatigued😀

Hartson got stick for being massively overweight

I do miss premier league preseason fixtures. Gareth bale scored an amazing goal at the cg just days before his real Madrid transfer. Most expensive player to grace the cg pitch?

I attended this one......

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/18-charged-over-swindon-town-2065812?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

I can remember playing Bristol City at home pre-season 1980 lots of trouble and again in the mid 2000's

I vaguely remember beating West Ham in a pre-season and getting relegated 10 months later.

I am pretty sure that this game was Roberto Firmino's first game for Liverpool, and Vigoroux nearly broke him in half in the first 10 minutes on his debut for us, while on trial from Liverpool :D

spot on Berni

Benteke scored an absolute screamer and James Brophy was a trialist

I was there, it was a nice day out from memory. Vigs nearly saved their winner but it looped up in the air and under the bar sadly.

Indeed :doh:

Ours was a cracking finish too. Obika

That is really what is missing but along with the pitch not being ready until late, its all the big boys going to the states and other places. Was thinking even a Fulham would have been alright but even they're in the US right towards the end July. Maybe could have squeezed someone like that in before if the pitch was ready.

I’d like to see us try and pull together a Copa Ibiza effort in future years.

Plenty of mid ranking European teams that aren’t chasing the Yankee dollars in the “off season.”

Remember Vitesse Arnhem

There's plenty of Championship clubs that would be a decent 'showpiece' home friendly in the event of the PL teams all heading off in their various directions around the world.

Norwich, Watford and 'Boro spring to mind if we could insist on their 1st team squad travelling and playing. Then you have Hull, Stoke, Swansea, QPR and WBA etc.

Derby, Portsmouth, Charlton, Wednesday and Bolton wouldn't be too bad even if we had to dip into L1 to get a fixture.

Hamburg's finest St Pauli are playing at Dunfermline's East End Park in a pre-season friendly. that's kinda cool.

Ah the good old Borsele voetbaltoernooi te Nieuwdorp.

We won, so it wasn't a bridge too far.

Noticed a few pre seasons in the 90's spent in Finland as well.

Was that under Hoddle I cant remember, the only Dutch team I do remember was us beating top flight Roda Kerkrade JC in 1979.

They had 4 current Holland internationals in the side including the goalkeeper Jan Jongblod who played in the WC finals of 1974 and 1978 as well as Theo De Jong, Dick Nanninga who took part and another player Pierre Vermeulen who was in the 1978 squad.

We beat them 4-1 and Kamara missed a penalty.

Pre Season is a bit shit..

Hope we lose the lot....we always have a stormer when we do!

How did we ever get that ‘friendly’ v Fenerbache when Cox scored that worldy?

Didn't even have a kit.

I assume it must have been some sort of tournament in Austria where we happened to be doing preseason? I knew that Kezman scored their goal, but I wasn't aware that Roberto Carlos played for them??

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/MatchCentre.asp?Friendly=YES&MatchID=2009802000

Also note we thumped them 5-1  in a friendly in 1953....

Yes Carlos was shit that day, he took one direct free kick and put it so far over the bar and Macnamee was running rings round him at times.

It was good to be able to watch a pre season game in full on Fenerbahçe's own tv station on tinterweb well before ifollow etc.

They has us on screen as Swindown Town :)

Was summer 2008 the summer of the Best Holdings debacle?

Year after.

Extensive highlights here. Lots of fans from this bygone era can be spotted in the last 7 minutes or so.
https://youtu.be/cfAjikvqTNQ

20 years since Jimmy Davis death soon. We could have gone to Redditch.

I wonder if the Eastleigh fixture coincides with a player Town might be signing...

Someone like;

6' 5'' CDM/CB Ousseynou Cissé - 32yrs

or

6'1 RCB Christian Maghoma - 25yrs


Someone like either of them would be pretty decent, especially Maghoma would really is trying to kickstart from the bottom after being a Spurs Academy lad. Good full season at NL with Eastleigh. Probably more than capable at League Two level. Cissé is older and more versatile. Probably fits the Anthony Grant mould of player and at 6' 5'' he's not a small lad...Aud would sign him up for sure.

Both seem like types that Flynn might try to sign as well. Maghoma contract expires end of the month and Cissé is a free agent after being released. Strange as it looks like he had a decent season :hmmm:

It’s just like watching grass grow.

https://twitter.com/cassidymarcus/status/1666748710376685569?s=61&t=pTUdr8xXlQ7vJcn1NU7cbg

Anyone know when the players are due back for pre-season training

Normally around the first week in July

Are you sure? Our first pre-season game is 5th July. Is it not about 2 weeks before that or something?

Think they’re usually in for testing in late June

Thought someone said it was one day next week

Maybe slightly earlier Bob but normally you would expect them to go in on the Thursday & Friday for testing 29th & 30th June and proper preseason would start on Monday 3rd July.

Vincent Kompany already has Burnley back for their pre-season.

I did see that so maybe many clubs will be going back earlier than normal

Yeah thats the earliest i have ever been aware a team has been back. I always had 6 weeks in my head as a good preseason. Given the first week is normally light work and testing. That would mean last week of June. So I would expect them in on the 26th.

Hopefully things liven up in the next couple of weeks.

Dont forget season starts first weekend of august

Judging by players socials, looks like most of them are back in the UK now

Good point Tans as I thought the season started around the 12th August so expect them back earlier than normal.

Tbf, their season ended about a month before everyone else’s

Good point!