swindonfc1879.com

[sonic youth]

www.swindonfc1879.com

interesting!

[janaage]

What a quality article.  Plowman knows his stuff!!!  He used to have a regular feature in the programme didn't he?

[Rich Pullen]

Looked at it a while back.

Pretty amusing they launched it the season we have to pay extra for repulica kits because it states the "125th" celebration... Made me laugh anyway.

I've always thought through evidence I've read that we were formed in 1879... I wonder if the club will accept it!

Me thinks not.

[Piemonte]

meeeeeh. I really dont care what year we were formed.

Ploughman is an uber geek with a beard.

[Batch]

yes I think this was raised, but as we celebrated our 100th anniversary in 1981 (I'm told) then it seemed right to do 125 now.

[janaage]

Maybe the new owners will!

[SwindonTartanArmy]

I always thought the club was formed in 1879. Got confused when I kept hearing 1881:?

[blinkpip]

Read the strange but true bit.

VI – Practice makes Purse fat !
For a pre-season practice match between Town’s ‘first team’ and the reserves at the County Ground in 1948, a crowd of 11,882 turned up !  The bumper crowd was treated to an eight-goal feast as the Reds defeated the Blues 5-3.

III – Taking the p*** !
Three Town players were suspended during 1896/97 for turning up at the County Ground in an intoxicated condition. But, for a Wiltshire League fixture in March 1901, opponents Holt arrived at the ground an hour late - and then drank beer on the pitch during the second half !  

[RobertT]

It was always thought to be 1881 until recently some mroe documents showed a link going back to 1879.

[Reg Smeeton]

:bow1:  Plowman.

[janaage]

He certainly knows his shit Reg.

[bigbobjoylove]

Plowman, such a legend.

[stfc_steve]

knew that, someone already told me when we heard about the crest being put on the 06/07 shirts

[Bedford Red]

Just listing some old programmes on E-Bay; and the one from the match against Coventry City in 1957 states the following

"To correct matters we may say that our club was founded back in 1881 and professionalism was adopted in 1894 when the old Southern League was formed................"

Only quoted a small bit there but shows that almost 50 years ago they were having the same discussions and obviously weren't sure then either.

[@MacPhlea]

I like the 'town through time' bit about the goalkeepers and how Bob Menham saved the club from folding first time round by getting subscriptions through the adver to pay for players wages - He should be the Posthumous President of the Trust!

Oh yeah and he's my Great Grandfather

By the turn of the 20th century, the goalkeeping spot was held by BOB MENHAM, a former Grenadier Guardsman, who had been brought to Swindon in 1898 from Wigan County. But his credentials were of the highest quality, for only fifteen months previously he had helped Everton to the F.A.Cup Final at the Crystal Palace. There, the Toffeemen had lost by the odd goal in five to Aston Villa - who were also good enough to win the League Championship that year. Menham went into the Town record books as the only goalkeeper to get his name on the score sheet - at the right end that is !  His moment of glory came in the F.A.Cup on November 21 1900 in a Fourth Qualifying Round replay, when the Bristol side Staple Hill came to the County Ground. Swindon were already 5-0 ahead when Bob exercised his authority as team captain to nominate himself as penalty-taker - and he did not waste the opportunity.

 

It was in the capacity of club skipper that, in March 1901,he made an appeal to the public of Swindon through the local press on behalf of his colleagues, who has agreed to accept a reduced wage so that the club - on the verge of folding up - could continue in business. The paybill had been cut by almost half. The ‘Swindon Advertiser’ set up a subscription list  with all donations going to make up the shortfall in the players’ wage packets. Names and amounts totalling £33 14s 6d (£33.72p) were eventually appended to that list !

 

On December 28 1900, Bob Menham made a name for himself for all the wrong reasons. Possibly as a result of too much Xmas cheer, he contrived to miss the train taking his colleagues to Swindon’s away Southern League game at Kettering !  Consequently, one of the full-backs, ‘PADDY’ FAGAN, took up the keeper’s duties and had to retrieve the ball from the back of the net on no less than ten occasions. This indiscretion cost big Bob a on-match suspension, when PAT KEOGH stepped in. Although TOM BOULTON made a handful of appearances at this time, no serious challengers to Bob’s position came along until late in 1902, when Swindon were drawn away to Chippenham Town in the F.A.Cup.

 

Due to a cash incentive, Chippenham agreed to switch the match to the County Ground. In the event, Swindon won the tie comfortably 5-0, but the result was less significant than the bravery shown by the visitors’ young custodian Fred Hemmings - who was solely responsible for keeping the score line respectable. It had not gone unnoticed. He was signed on by the Town and, two months later, replaced Bob Menham in the League side. On the eve of a crucial F.A.Cup tie at Barnsley (the winners would go into the ‘hat’ with all the First Division clubs), Bob went down with rheumatic fever and was unable to make the trip. His seat on the train went to TOM LEWIS who, after that 0-4 defeat, was never again called upon to represent the first team. Hanging up his jersey in 1903, Bob Menham was later elected a director of the club and his popularity was such that he held the post of president of the Swindon and District Licensed Victuallers Association for some ten years.