A word of praise...

[pauld]

... for Paul Hart and the club. My lads' teams were supposed to be watching the players train today as part of a link-up thing they've got going with the club but it was cancelled (I assume the players had been given an extra day off after winning on Sat, but I don't know that before everyone goes off the head). So rather than disappoint the kids, they arranged instead for Paul Hart to take a training session with the kids on the pitch, with a mini-game and tour of the ground after. To give it an added wow factor, the kids got to change in the away dressing room ("Just like proper footballers" as my awestruck youngest said).

Hart was absolutely brilliant with the kids of all ages (somehow I don't see Jose Mourinho stopping to tie up a 6-year old's bootlaces or picking up another one who'd fallen over and was in tears) and they all absolutely loved it. He stayed behind after to sign shirts, programmes, boots etc and pose for photos as well and generally couldn't have been nicer. He did score an og in the mini-match but to be fair was under pressure from a couple of the more tenacious nine-year olds at the time

Massive credit to him and the club, the parents were as impressed as the kids were with the whole thing and I reckon the club will have a few more bums on seats for the remaining games, if only from the "nag factor" - they've certainly picked up a few new fans today. Massive thanks to Paul Hart for doing this, and to Adam and Steven at the club who helped arrange it and did a really good tour and Swindon Town quiz after. Just brilliant and really nice at the fag-end of a season where there's not been a whole lot to smile about to genuinely feel really proud of our club.

And I got to see my lad score the winner at the County Ground in front of the Swindon Town manager!

[Ardiles]

That's cheered me up.  Great stuff.

[THE FLASH]

Nice one!

Still hope he doesnt get the job though!

[jayohaitchenn]

Hart does seem like a genuinely likable chap. Just wish he was a bit better at winning football games.

[Berniman]

Good work, fair play!

[pauld]

Nice one!

Still hope he doesnt get the job though!

It was only a mini-match and while it was a well-taken goal, I doubt they'd offer him a contract on the back of it, plus he's only 8

[Saxondale]

Is he a left winger like his old man?

[Ginginho]

Good read that, nice one Paul.
Fair play to Mr Hart.

[pauld]

Is he a left winger like his old man?

No, if he was like me, he'd play straight down the centre. And not very well

[Ardiles]

Not suggesting for a second that the club were thinking of the bottom line here...but things like this really can make a difference.  I have one friend (I've never really worked out whether he posts on here or not) who grew up in West Oxfordshire and whose parents contacted both the club and Oxford to see about organising a birthday party one year when he was a kid.  Oxford came back and offered some half arsed discount on a batch of match tickets, while STFC offered a stadium tour, meet the players, VIP treatment on match day sort of thing.

Suffice to say Oxford were quickly forgotten - and my friend is a season ticket holder.  All makes sense.

[Batch]

It was only a mini-match and while it was a well-taken goal, I doubt they'd offer him a contract on the back of it, plus he's only 8

The being 8 might go against him but the rest got Dossevi a contract

[Nick Bamosomi]

That's very nice to read, Paul. As you say, I'm sure there are a lot of managers who wouldn't bother to join in like that.

[leefer]

Is he a left winger like his old man?

,love it.

Good on Hart though.

[Power to people]

Fair play to the club and Hart for doing this, as you say I can't beleive there would be many managers willing to do this

I still don't want Hart as manager though

[Mexicano Rojo]

I love paul hart a bit after saturday he was proper up for it.