| view Risser's match-by-match record |
| Oliver RISSER | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Namibian international signed on a two year contract in July 2011, after a successful trial spell, Risser was named as new Town boss Paolo di Canio's captain shortly after his arrival. Risser made his debut on the opening day of the season - and though he generally didn't perform well in the game (he later admitted to suffering from nerves), he opened his goalscoring account for the club with a superb effort from outside the area. By his own admission, Risser struggled to adapt to life in England for his first six months at the club - and after unimpressive performances in defeats at Cheltenham and Dagenham, he was dropped to the bench for the local derby against Oxford, before a groin injury sidelined him for three weeks. With regular defenders Alberto Comazzi and Aden Flint out of the side through suspension and injury, Risser was drafted straight back into the side upon his return to full fitness, this time in the central defensive role that he operated in for his country - but his return to the starting eleven lasted just sixteen minutes, before he was forced out of the game with an ankle injury. In his absence, Paul Caddis was chosen as stand-in skipper, and soon afterwards, di Canio announced that he had handed the armband to Caddis on a permanent basis, in order to relieve some of the pressure he felt Risser was under. Though Risser expressed disappointment at the decision, he returned to the bench during October - not returning to the starting eleven until November, when he registered his second Town goal with another great strike from outside the area in a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against Wimbledon. Though he kept his place for the 4-1 FA Cup victory over Huddersfield that following weekend, Risser found himself in and out of the side for the remainder of the season, as di Canio rotated his midfield players depending on the opposition - selecting Risser when he felt that opposition play needed breaking up - a job that the Namibian generally performed well. One such occasion came at the turn of the year for a trip to Northampton - with Swindon level with their struggling opponents, Risser was sent off for use of the elbow - despite this, the Town went on to win 2-1 with a last minute winner from Alan McCormack, prompting Town boss di Canio to run onto the pitch and celebrate with his players. The red card saw Risser suspended for three games, but he returned again for victory over Macclesfield and an FA Cup tie at Leicester, before giving arguably his best performance of the season so far in a superb 4-1 win over fellow promotion candidates Southend - a result that lifted Swindon into the promotion places for the first time. Despite this, Risser was named on the bench throughout most of February (a period in which Swindon moved to the top of the table after ten straight league victories, and also secured a place at Wembley for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final), but he returned to the first team during March. It was a period of mixed emotions for Risser - after netting his third Town goal with a bullet header against second-placed Torquay that helped Swindon move seven points clear at the top of the table, he was named in the starting eleven for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Wembley - becoming the first Namibian to ever appear at the national stadium. Unfortunately, he also soon became the first Namibian to score an own goal - turning Alex Mendy's low cross into his own net to give Chesterfield the lead in a game they went on to win 2-0. Risser sat out a 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers the following weekend, before returning to action three days later at Barnet - any Wembley hangover was forgotten when he netted the Town's second goal. Risser was ever-present for the remainder of the season, starting each of the last eight games as Swindon secured the League Two championship. The arrival of Alan Navarro and Tommy Miller over the summer saw Risser move down the pecking order again though, and though Risser was an unused substitute for the first five games of the new season, the further arrivals of Giles Coke and John Bostock put him right out of the first team picture. He soon agreed to join Stevenage on a four month loan deal - and he was even allowed to play against the Town in October (a superb performance that Swindon won 4-0) - but it was one of only a handful of starts in an unsuccessful temporary spell - Boro turning down the option to extend his loan until the end of the season. Though boss Paolo di Canio stated that he could still have a future with Swindon, he also confirmed that Risser had received a good offer from a League Two club - and within a week of his return, it was announced that he had been released from his contract by mutual consent. It was soon revealed that Swindon had agreed to pay up Risser’s contract in full to enable him to leave the club - the Namibian joining Aldershot Town on a six month deal until the end of the season. PLAYING RECORD:
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date of birth
usual positions central midfield other positions central defence youth career senior career |
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