I regret to say that I approach the task of summing up the past season's doings of the Swindon Town F.C. with feelings quite the reverse of gay.

The season of 1894-95 will long be borne in mind as remarkable in many ways.

The formation of the Southern League and the inclusion of the Swindon team among the chosen few clubs who constituted the 1st division of the league, was expected to do wonders in improving the play of the Swindon men, and I believe not a few of the supporters of the Town club were confident that their players would secure a good position in the League table.

I confess to having been among this number, and am greatly disappointed that no better place has been secured than that of the very last on the list. When the second part of the season was well started, a most important step in the history of the club was taken, in the introduction of paid players into the team. It was confidently hoped that this measure would be the means, not only of giving the club a better status in Southern football, but materially increase it's playing strength, and improving their none too rosy prospects in the League.

Here again, however, our fond hopes were doomed to disappointment, for with their paid players the team has not done a scrap better than in the earlier part of the season when local amateur players formed the staple part of the eleven.

Ill-luck has been dogging their every movement, and as the team began to lose matches with more and more frequency, the attendance of spectators to watch the games has fallen off to an appreciable extent. Since the club turned "pro," 15 matches have been played, of which only three have been recorded as victories, four were drawn, and no fewer than eight had to be recorded as defeats, while 27 goals have been scored by Swindon, against 43 put on by opponents.

In the earlier part of the season, while the club sailed under amateur colours 21 matches were played. Out of these eight were victories for Swindon, eleven losses, and two draws, 41 goals being kicked for the club and 54 against - a better average than that produced by the professional team, it will be noticed, by the way.

The record of matches played in connection with the Southern League was given in these columns last week, together with the complete record of other Southern League matches.

In that competition, Swindon played 16 games, won four, drew one, and lost eleven, kicking 24 goals against 48, and gaining nine points.

The victories were over Reading, Royal Ordnance, Ilford and Clapton, the draw being with the Royal Ordnance. The test match which Swindon had to play in order to gain admission to the League next season is dealt with elsewhere.