WELCOME!!
TO THE SITE THAT IS DEDICATED TO SWINDON TOWN OF OLD.... 
OUR UNRIVALLED WHERE ARE THEY NOW
lists every player to have represented Swindon Town in a League game during the last 60 years - and is regularly updated

IN MEMORY OF...
pays tribute to over 500 Swindon Town men who are sadly no longer with us - with each being listed on the anniversary of his passing 
 

WHAT'S NEW?

OUR STRANGE BUT TRUE COMPILATION 
delves into our extensive archives to uncover some bizarre facts concerning both the club and the players

TOWN THROUGH TIME
is our own flashback to a series first printed in the Town programme in the late 1970’s - featuring first the goalkeepers that have seen service with the club down the years. Since it was first published, research has uncovered much new information - and many new photographs have also been added

FINALLY OUR LIES AND STATISTICS FEATURE
highlights some of the ‘garbage’ that has been previously been written on some Town’s stars of the past - and we produce the evidence that exposes previously accepted facts as pure fantasy. We commence with the tale of George Travers - who we traced all the way to New Zealand when he allegedly ‘died in the West Midlands’ !

BUT FIRST WE INTRODUCE OUR MYTH BUSTERS
who have been locked in the vaults and have resurfaced with some jolly interesting findings !...................

 

It has now been accepted that SWINDON TOWN F C - the club we know and love today - was founded back in 1879 and not 1881, as previously believed.

In this splendid team picture of the Swindon F C squad in the inaugural season of 1879-1880, William Pitt is seen holding the ball alongside Jimmy Vowles, Will Povey, Billy Keylock (on the left) and Jack Cook, Billy Cowley and Alf Cockbill (on the right). Behind them are Tom Hancock (with the hat), Charlie Few (just 15 years old !) Charlie Humphries, Billy Woolford, Tom White and Billy Stroud.

   

 
And it was the nucleus of this squad who played against Rovers F C on Saturday November 29 1879 – the match report for which was published in the Swindon Advertiser – albeit two weeks later ! Wiltshire was still in the grip of rugby at the time and there was little interest in the ‘round ball’ game. 
 


The match report from the Swindon Advertiser, dated Saturday December 13th, 1879.
 

   However, on that November afternoon, Pitt’s men also called upon the services of ‘cockney’ Dick Barnett to keep goal. But he was powerless to prevent a 4-0 defeat, which may have been due to the fledgling Swindon side being a man short, although it was not unknown in those days for the newspaper to ‘lose’ a name somewhere in the reporting process !

William Pitt was then 23 and the curate of Swindon Christ Church, lodging in Belle Vue Road with the family of Frederick Osman – a grocer. But in 1881, Reverend Pitt was appointed rector of Liddington and, with no cars or public transport in those days, moved out of Swindon, severing his connection with the football club.

This was confirmed some thirty years later – in September 1911 - when he was invited to give 
an after-dinner speech as the Town celebrated winning the Southern League Championship for the first time……………


'……………..the presentation to the directors of the club of an illuminated address was placed in the hands of Prebendary Pitt, who made a very interesting speech....

He thought he might venture to say that he was the father of the Swindon Football Club. It was in the autumn of 1879 that some young fellows belonging to the Swindon (railway) factory met with him in the King William Street school to organise a club...'


The birthplace of STFC - King William Street School

'...They decided to call it the Swindon Association Football Club, but they found the name rather a mouthful to shout out, so they changed the name to the Spartans. They played the first game on a field not far away, it being kindly lent by Mr Hooper Deacon, who was always a friend of sport.....

After giving some entertaining reminiscences of football matches in which he took part, the reverend gentleman

mentioned that his removal from Swindon caused his severance with the club…………’

Last November saw the 70th anniversary of the passing of the great man – William Baker Pitt – founder of Swindon Town F C in 1879 - although they did not adopt the present title until 1883 - two years after he had left the town.


HAVING EXPOSED THE MYTH………
THAT STFC WAS FORMED IN 1881 - HERE ARE MORE MYTHS ABOUT TO BE 'BUSTED' !!

I
The recent Adver article on the Taddy & Co cigarette cards mentioned Harold Fleming having '………….thought nothing of trekking the 30 miles between Andover and Swindon to play………..' Quite where this notion materialised from is uncertain. The quote again appeared in Dick Mattick's The Robins - but can it be substantiated - or is this another myth ?

That book also shows a Sanford Street school photo from 1898, featuring Harold, whose father owned a butcher's shop in Market Street at that time. The family had, in fact, moved from Andover earlier in the 1890's. So why would he be 'trekking 30 miles' to Swindon ? Our theory is that it was from Warminster - where he was studying at the Theological College during his early days at the County Ground - that the 'trek' probably took place.

II
Almost hidden behind the statuette of Harold Fleming in the entrance lobby at the County Ground is a plaque in memory of three Town players who lost their lives in the Second World War - Alan Fowler, James Olney and 'James' Imrie. Alan Fowler had been a prolific goalscorer since he joined the club from Leeds in 1934, while 'Brummie' Jim Olney had only arrived nine months before the outbreak of War. The third name on the plaque is a complete misnomer or 'myth' !

The Imrie who played for Swindon Town was William Noble Imrie and although he died in 1944, it was not in the conflict. The big Scot - a corporal in the RAF - died at his home in Fife on Boxing Day from stomach cancer.


III
The excellent start to the 2006/07 season - six straight wins in the League - caught the media scratching round to find a better one. And having looked back forty years they came to the conclusion that this equalled an 'all time record' achieved in 1963/64. But in truth, this fell some way short of the best, again achieved in the days of Harold Fleming and Co.

In 1913/14 Town won an incredible ten League games from the kick-off on September 1 - five at home (with 18 goals scored and only two conceded !) and five away. (CLICK HERE for more details)

So again, the 'myth' that Town's best ever start was equalled this season, has been well and truly busted !