The Paynter and Austin tally increases

Just a quick blog update before I go for christmas lunch. As you should know, Town hosted Brighton at a snowy County Ground on Saturday - seeing the return of stopper Peter Brezovan and ex-assistant manager Gus Poyet.

As we crossed the Magic Roundabout you could faintly hear out of tune Christmas carols being blasted from the County Ground tannoy system. Apparently, this was the work of one Reverend Paul Rush and his acoustic guitar. Definitely not Swindon's Got Talent!

And though the Rev might have been off-tune, the opposite could be said about the partnership between strikers Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin as they both bagged a goal each to send Brighton back to the coast with nothing to show for.

But the game wasn't without controversy, and in good ol' Swindon fashion, the reds didn't make it easy for ourselves.

Peter Brezovan's first return to the County Ground after an apparent breakdown between himself and Wilson was a start for him to remember as he pulled off a remarkable save to deny a rare long range effort from Jonathan Douglas. This save gets better and better every time I see it! He also did well to keep out a close-range effort from Charlie Austin as Swindon were knocking at the door to break the deadlock early on in the first half.

The door was answered after about half an hour had been played. Jean-Francois Lescinel played a lofted ball towards Billy Paynter who fell under a challenge from Brighton's Jim McNulty and referee Mr. Moss quickly pointed to the spot, much to the protests of the Seagull's. Paynter stepped up and coolly converted the spot kick, sending old teammate Peter Brezovan the wrong way to give Town a deserved lead. Paynter later said that there was no doubt about the penalty appeal:

“My goal was definitely a penalty - I’ve gone up and he’s pushed me in the back, so there was no doubt about it. I got up, stuck it away and it’s set us on the right track. "

It didn't take long for Brighton to claw their way back into the game however. On 38 minutes Nicky Forster met am Elliott Bennett cross with his head, making no mistake from close range. His celebration less than savoury in the eyes of the Town End as Forster was bombarded with coffee and burgers for celebrating in front of them. Surprisingly, Forster received only a talking to from the referee, when on any other occasion he probably would have received a yellow card.

Swindon could have retaken the lead just before half-time, as Alan Sheehan crashed a superb free-kick against the underside of the bar with Brezovan beaten. That's two bars in two free-kicks for Sheehan so far in his short loan spell at the County Ground.

Town eventually did reclaim their one goal advantage early in the second half. Jon-Paul McGovern's perfect cross was met by a close-range header from Charlie Austin in an almost carbon copy of Forster's earlier goal. Austin took his tally to 5 goals and the Town End were happier to have the 20 year old celebrate in front of them.

As Swindon attempted to play time away, defending became a bit slap-dash and some costly errors nearly gifted Brighton a point. A slip from Gordon Greer nearly gifted Glenn Murray a goal if it wasn't for the superb goalkeeping from David Lucas. And a lapse in concentration from Lescinel Jean-Francois should have seen Liam Dickinson equalise for the seagulls, but he sent his shot surprisingly wide towards the death of the game.

And to top the game off, a Brighton had a very late penalty appeal turned down by referee Jonathan Moss as Nicky Forster went down after a tackle from Alan Sheehan, and both manager's agreed that perhaps Moss made the wrong decision here.

Gus Poyet, less than happy with Moss' performance struggled to control his temper in a post-match interview:

“I think it was a penalty – pressure, last minute, injury-time? Definitely,” said Poyet.

“If that happens at 0-0 in the middle of the game then you give it, but when it’s at the end sometimes you don’t.

“If it’s a penalty, it’s a penalty. It doesn’t matter how much you dive, how much you appeal – it’s a penalty and he was in the right position to see it. "

And Wilson admitted that on another day it may not have been 3 points to Swindon if that penalty was given:

“You’ve seen them given. Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t matter, if he goes down he goes down.

“I think Nicky knew exactly what he was doing and at that late stage in the game you ask the referee a question. Fortunately for us he hasn’t given them the answer they wanted.”

So with performances still a way from being perfect at the County Ground, Town managed to pick up another extremely valuable 3 points, with a heavy and tough Christmas period fast approaching. We sit in 6th place, the last playoff spot, with two games in hand over a handful of the teams above us. But Swindon's form is something for Robins fans to smile about over Christmas - 34 points from 20 games is the kind of form that will secure you a playoff place come spring-time, and with the state of the team upon Wilson's inheritance, I don't think anybody can grumble at that. Tidy up some of the performances and everything else will fall in to place.

See you at The Valley on Boxing Day!

Old faces, rumours and tickets!

Its been what, a week since my last update? I couldn't bring myself to retelling the horrors of our derby clash at the memorial stadium. We tried hard and succeeded to make it an excellent day out even with the drab performance and match, and the wintery weather. Excellent day, that's the end of that.

Football's a funny old game, a win at Rovers would have been 5 wins on the bounce. Wasn't to be though and now ahead of the visit from Brighton, more than ever we need the players to exhibit some bounce-back-ability. I've used the term already this season, following our open day shock hammering at Gillingham, and it does seem to be an oft used adage at the County Ground, but with a tough and busy Christmas period fast approaching, come January we could truly see with Town fans can hope for a playoff push or a mid-table obscurity come the end of the season.

The above "tough Christmas period" starts tomorrow as the seagulls fly west from the coasts of Brighton, though their league position may not suggest it. Brighton have been somewhat a banana skin for Town in recent meetings, having recorded 1 victory over the 'gulls in the last 5 meetings. That lone victory being in April of last season as we recorded an uncommon 3-2 victory at the Withdean.

A high-profile encounter between the two sides happened in the semi-final of the Division 2 playoffs in 2003/2004. A capacity crowd filled the County Ground for the home leg to see Brighton take a 1-0 lead back to the Withdean thanks to a deflected goal. And, after unfortunately not being able to make the trip, I remember watching the reverse fixture on Sky Sports as Sam Parkin levelled the scored with 9 minutes to go to secure extra time. My then favourite player Rory Fallon scored an extra time goal which looked to be sending us on our way to Wembley, only to be scuppered by an Adam Virgo headed equaliser with just seconds to go. Heartbreak followed as Town crashed out on penalties as Andy Gurney and Tommy Mooney both missed their spot-kicks.

Fun fact - of the two times I've been to the Withdean, I've been snowed on and rained on - and couldn't have written a match report to save my life. The Withdean is a terrible stadium, yet I keep going back.
Anyway, back to present times, and as the Brighton coach unloads tomorrow there will be two familiar faces entering the County Ground. Gus Poyet took charge at the Withdean in November and he had a short stint as player/assistant manager next to Dennis Wise at the County Ground back in 2006.

“It's going to be nice to go there and nice to see a few people. We had great times together but I need to go there and get the three points."

“It is going to bring back good memories, especially seeing the Magic Roundabout before getting to the stadium. Let's see if we can get through it on the bus!"

The Uruguayan jumped ship at the County Ground as he and Wise formed the new Leeds management team in the Championship after just 3 months with League 2 Swindon - perhaps unloyal but an opportunity that no doubt had to be taken. The pair returned to the County Ground in a playing capacity for Christian Roberts' testimonial in 2008 after the fan favourite was forced to retire at the age of 28 due to a long-standing knee injury.

The other familiar face on Saturday will be that of giant Slovakian 'keeper Peter Brezovan. Once tipped for a great career, Brezovan was signed on loan by Wise in 2006, allegedly "a favour from an agent". Brezovan had a magnificent debut between the sticks, capping an inspired performance which included two penalty saves to secure a 1-0 victory over fellow promotion favourites Hartlepool in the opening game of the season. Town went on to secure 5 more consecutive victories, whilst looking mediocre at best, thanks mostly to Brezovan's fine form - a start to his County Ground career that earned him PFA Player of the Month for September and the adulation of Robins followers and Dennis Wise confirmed that the big clubs were circling the County Ground to get a look at the Slovak stopper.

Then disaster struck. As Swindon held a comfortable 2-0 lead over Grimsby, Brezovan fell awkwardly, badly breaking his left arm. Fearing the in-form 'keeper would be kept sidelined for a while, fans were reassured by Wise that no potential deal would break down, as the current loan contract ensured that Town had first dibs on any permanent signature for Brezovan. Wise departed the County Ground in October, and Paul Sturrock filled the hotseat. Phil Smith filled Brezovan's boots for the rest of the season, and earned himself Supporter's Player of the Year thanks to a fine season. Though never seeing Brezovan play, Sturrock signed him on a permanent 2 year deal in March.

The 2007/2008 season saw Sturrock stick with Smith between the sticks, remaining loyal to the man who had served him well so far. Brezovan's appearances were restricted to Cup matches, and he did little to earn his place back, looking understandably shaky and nervous on his arm. Despite this, the slovak's name was still being banded around in the media, as the big keeper was linked with Premiership clubs. He joined Everton for a three day trial in September. Smith suffered a minor injury in October, and as Brezovan was called upon again, he slowly began to find his feet and return to the form that had one the Town fans over in his first season.

Another change of manager saw Brezovan fall out of favour with Maurice Malpas. He was unfairly blamed for goals by Malpas, and was later dropped to the bench in February as Smith returned to full fitness. Bizarrely , Brezovan came back into the fray after a month as Smith's performances were unconvincing, and Brezovan remained in goal for the rest of a frustrating season. In close season, Swansea and Tottenham were the latest teams to be linked with Brezovan, and the keeper himself admitted that though he was enjoying his time at the County Ground, he was uncertain where his future lay.

Despite all this, Brezovan was still on the books for the 2008/2009 season. Malpas again chopped and changed his number 1 as both keepers went through a truly awful spell. Brezovan lost his place after missing a through ball to allow an easy Colchester goal in a 3-1 home defeat. Phil Smith was called upon, himself making two consecutive blunders to give Brezovan the jersey back for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against Hereford. With confidence looking low among both keepers, no doubt thanks to Malpas' heavy handed attempt at dealing with the catastrophic cloud that was forming over the County Ground, Brezovan made yet a further mistake, mis-handling a tame shot gifting Hereford a goal. Having seen the true ability of both keepers, the fans called for Malpas to choose one and stick with them to try and build some confidence. Malpas chose Brezovan who, beginning to build confidence, helped Town secure two badly needed back-to-back victories in October. Brezovan wouldn't remain Town's first choice however, as an ankle injury forced him out shortly after, for Smith to come back in again.

As Malpas got the chop, and a new manager was finally hired in Danny Wilson, Brezovan made a return on Wilson' first game in charge - Boxing day in a 2-1 away victory over Leyton Orient. Though Brezovan's confidence appeared to improve, he looked half the player that stole the hearts of the Town faithful years before, and after being criticised by fans for yet another costly error, he was dropped again. This time, Smith grabbed the bull by it's horns and played out the remaining ten games of the season and Brezovan was released in the summer.

Brezovan has today told local newspapers that his departure from the club was due to not seeing eye to eye with Wilson, though there are no hard feelings. I'm sure Swindon fans will join me in wishing Brezovan all the best at Brighton, just not tomorrow. A costly error will keep you in Town fans hearts forever.

Sorry if this edition is dragging, there's a lot I wanted to get through in today's rant. Moving on now to a rumour that has been circling the County Ground that has been shot down today. David Byrne (Head of Player Development at the County Ground, not the lead singer of the band Talking Heads), as rumoured to have applied for the vacant Cheltenham Town job, following Martin Allen's departure. He's categorically denied this rumour, though refused to deny a possible urge to take up a job in a managerial capacity in the future. Byrne held the fort at the County Ground as caretaker manager twice, following the departures of both Paul Sturrock and Maurice Malpas. Though named as a possible candidate for the position Wilson took, many fans called for his resignation as changes were needed. Seen as a true servant to the club, "Budgie" was "moved sideways" to Head of Player Development in recognition of his loyalty, and his success as youth team manager a few years before.

And finally, to wrap things up...I MANAGED TO GET FULHAM TICKETS! Yes I am a season-ticket holder, and yes we got first dibs when the highly sought after tickets went on sale for the FA Cup 3rd Round tie at Craven Cottage went on sale. But I didn't get off my ass, left it too late and now had to fight with the muggles to get my hands on the gold dust like tickets. Swindon's initial allocation of 3,900 tickets sold like hot-cakes. Fulham were originally going to keep two-thirds of the away stand for their popular "neutral tickets" that you may have heard about in the media. However, when hopeful Town fans bombarded the Fulham ticket sales line begging for tickets, they gave up another 2,000 or so tickets, which are also looking like they are going to sell out extremely quickly. Meaning we should be 6,000 strong for our big day out in London! This is huge for Swindon, though I'm not sure where they all were for the round before at Wrexham? Gig, myself and 424 other fans made the trip to North Wales for the not so glamorous tie! Bloody fair-weather supporters ;-) Oh well, just make sure you're in good voice at Craven Cottage, I lost quite a bit of sleep over the prospect of not getting tickets!

Gay jokes aside, lets give the Brighton boys a right seeing to tomorrow!

The Big One: Bristol Rovers

Saturday brings the long awaited trip to the Memorial Stadium for the huge local derby between Swindon and Bristol Rovers. And if the locality of the event isn't fuel enough for a hot-tempered afternoon of football, Swindon-born, former Town trainee and son of legend John, Paul Trollope will be hoping to turn over the club where his father built his legacy, a career spanning 40 years combining roles of Defender, Coach and Manager.

John Trollope is one of few in the footballing world to ply his trade at one solitary club, and with the club being that of his hometown, the achievement is made even more spectacular - a feat that you rarely see in today's modern game. Trollope holds the record for the number of league appearances made for one club - 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an accomplishment which saw John receive an MBE. John was also part of the inaugural League Cup winning team of 1969.Trollope announced his retirement at the end of the 1978/1979 season, taking up a backroom staff role. However, with an appalling start to the 1980/1981 season, Trollope's ability was called upon again and the defender came out of retirement, a move which would allow him to break the appearance record. After finally retiring for a 2nd time at the end of that season, Trollope then became manager of Swindon Town early on in the following season. However, Trollope's ability as manager didn't match that of his playing days, and with a tight budget in place, Trollope led Town to their first ever relegation to division four, and was replaced towards the end of the 1982/1983 season.

Though a slight tarnish on an illustrious Wiltshire career, this wasn't the end of Trollope. Lou Macari appointed Trollope as assistant manager in 1985, and remained at the club as youth team coach as the Swindon Town hotseat housed the likes of Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, John Gorman and Steve McMahon. Today, Trollope plays a similar role helping out youth teams in the area, notably the Swindon Town Centre of Excellence's Under-15's and a part-time position helping Rovers with their youth setup.

Paul's footballing career would take him on a completely different path than that of his father's. Having begun life as a trainee at the County Ground in 1989, he was deemed surplus to requirements and moved to Torquay United. Over the years Trollope would grace 6 more clubs' wage-bill, making a healthy amount of appearances for the likes of Derby, Fulham and Northampton, before signing for his final club, Bristol Rovers, in 2004. During his 2nd season he became player-caretaker-manager, before later becoming "First-team Coach" in a joint bid to manage the club alongside Director of Football Lennie Lawrence. Though making few appearances, Trollope didn't officially retire his playing career until the end of the 2007/2008 season after maintaining a mid-table position in League 1, and an impressive cup run which saw them get knocked out in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, a feat that hadn't been achieved for 50 years. Trollope has just recently extended his contract at the Memorial Stadium until the end of the current season, and has officially changed his title from "First-Team Coach" to "Manager".
Rovers are Swindon's 2nd oldest Rivals, having first played competitive football in the Western League in 1897. From 1899 to 1953 the two teams met each other in league fixtures season after season. Unfortunately, the intense rivalry the extensive history of the two teams has built can spill over on occasions, such as in December 2006 following a season high attendance of over 10,000 at the County Ground watching a home win. Seats in the Arkell's stand were ripped up and used as missiles between both sets of supporters during the game. 11 people were reportedly arrested. At the reverse fixture, 20 Bristol Rovers fans attacked Swindon fans in a pub beer garden before the game, bringing a prompt end to talks regarding a possible ground-share between the two teams.

As for Saturday, lets hope that the rivalry can stay on the pitch with a high-tempo good old-fashioned derby game. Town go into it off the back of an impressive performance and 3-2 victory over Leyton Orient which catapulted us back into the playoffs with two games in hand. Bristol Rovers suffered a 1-0 defeat away at Colchester, but find themselves a position below Swindon, and one out of the playoffs in 7th place. The last time these two met was towards the climax of last season in April 2009, with Swindon sealing a 2-1 victory in front of just under 11,000 at the County Ground. Two goals from super striker Simon Cox sealed another season of League 1 football for Town.

Town have a virtual clean bill of health prior to derby day, with a full strength side expected to be named, probably to include the likes of David Lucas, Kevin Amankwaah, Scott Cuthbert, Gordon Greer, Jean-Francois Lescinel, Jon-Paul McGovern, Simon Ferry, Jonathan Douglas, Alan Sheehan, Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin. I imagine Austin will get his first taste of the Swindon-Bristol derby as his partnership with Billy Paynter continues to blossom, though 18 year old Danny Ward will be looking for a chance to impress before he returns to Bolton in January.

The game has been made ALL-TICKET for Swindon Town fans making the short journey, a common security measure employed for such derby games. Town ticket office are expecting 1000+ to cheer on The Robins on Saturday with tickets expected to sell out fast. I've got mine, so get yours!! And here's to hoping for another wedding party to crash after the game!

Come on you Reds!

A nice way to wake up this morning

Great news on getting into work this morning, Simon Ferry's loan deal has been extended until the end of the season!

Town fans couldn't be blamed for worrying slightly that the squad might be looking a bit thin come January when our loan deals run out; Ben Hutchinson (Celtic), Simon Ferry (Celtic), Alex Revell (Southend). And with Tope Obadeyi heading back to the heady heights of the Premiership with Bolton earlier this month after we exhausted our loan extensions with him, it comes as great news that the pick of the loan bunch has signed on for the cause until the end of the season.

Ferry has been a hugely important addition to the team, instantly sparking a partnership with Jonathan Douglas in the centre of midfield, and holding the fort during the latter's 4 game ban. He's already picked up two (if my memory serves me correctly) Man of the Match awards during his time here. Admittedly these are picked by whoever has paid for the "executive seating", but lets not take anything away from the lad, he's put in some inspired performances and I'd be quite happy to say he's one of the best midfielders we've had at the club for a while.

The Swindon Advertiser are this morning rolling with an interview where Ferry states that he'd like to turn his loan deal into a permanent one. Ferry would gladly be welcomed permanently by us all I think, though Celtic fans on 606 say the 21 year old is highly regarded and he's being watched closely. Whether this view is reflected by current manager Tony Mowbray, and whether he will still be managed at the end of the season is yet to be seen. The water is not under the bridge and a lot can change between now and May.

And of course, there is still the 2 possible loan signings that Wilson mentioned. He said there was a possibility of getting one, maybe two new signings before our FA Cup trip to Wrexham on Saturday. With no news on that front I'm constantly refreshing web pages so if I bring the internet to a standstill I apologise, its for a good cause!!

See you in Wales!

Its good to be back - Town tame the Terriers at a blustery County Ground

Unbeaten in the league since the tough trip to Carrow Road, and our only defeat in the last 4 being as we crashed out of the Johnstones Paint Trophy to Norwich in the reverse fixture on penalties some 2 weeks later, Danny Wilson called for another positive performance as high-flying Huddersfield came to Town. And the Tuesday night fixture gave Danny Wilson food-for-thought as a sturdy performance proved that money doesn't mean everything in Coca Cola League 1.

The talk of the County Ground revolved around two things. Firstly, the appearance of Theo Robinson, whose 6-figure sum at the start of the season was snubbed at the eleventh hour when he looked certain to be pulling on the red shirt, instead choosing the landscape of Yorkshire and donning the blue and white stripes of Huddersfield. The other being that of one Charlie Austin who has been pulled from non-league obscurity to fill those boots that Robinson left and that Hutchinson and Revell have so far struggled to keep on. "Austin" is quickly and quietly becoming a household name amongst followers of the Robins as he appears to have adapted his prolific non-league scoring record to suit that of League 1 Reserve standards, and now Wilson is handing him the chance to prove himself in the first team.

Austin made his first start in a red shirt on Saturday against Carlisle, where he snatched all 3 points for Town with a solitary 3rd minute goal on his debut. And Wilson said "same again" for the Huddersfield clash as he was given his 2nd start alongside Billy Paynter up front.

The performance certainly wasn't one for the purists as both teams battled against the stormy conditions in the County Ground, but it was Reds who ultimately dug in and dealt with the blustery atmosphere to close in on the playoffs once more.

The Robins spurned a decent chance with the first 10 minutes as the wind played havoc with Austin's cross, holding the ball up and dropping it to loanee Simon Ferry. From the edge of the area Ferry played through McNamee who could only hit a tame shot, allowing Alex Smithies an easy save early on.

A further 10 minutes on and with the conditions not improving the game had broken down as both teams struggled to hold up their overhit passes as the uncertainty of the wind played havoc with the ball. Minute's later however The Robins showed early signs of coping with the conditions as a lovely link up between Austin and Paynter saw the latter break the deadlock. As the wind held up a long ball forward from the Swindon backline, scouser Billy Paynter nodded the ball down for Austin. The 20 year old, with his back to goal, completed a one-two through ball with Paynter who made no mistake, slipping the ball under the on-rushing Smithies.
Four minutes later, and with nothing to blame but the stunning right boot of Lee Novak, the scores were back level. After a long clearance from Smithies, Novak sat on the ball some 25 yards out as the Town defence appeared to shut out any further progress. However, with nothing on Novak struck a crashing drive, the kind you know is in as soon as he hit it. The ball flew into the top corner with David Lucas stranded in the Swindon goal.

The rest of the first half fell victim to the wind as Swindon struggled to keep possession, though managed to limit Huddersfield to wild, long range efforts. The half time whistle was a welcome sound as we burrowed down under the Don Rogers Stand to the comfort and warmth of the bar.

The stormy weather appears to have let up as the 2nd half kicked off, though conditions were undoubtedly poorer out on the pitch, compared to the huddled mass of the crowd.

Huddersfield appeared to start the 2nd half the brightest of the two teams, as they attempted to take the game to Swindon. Terriers' skipper Peter Clarke was denied a stunning 25 yard goal as his powerful strike shook the frame of the goal, with David Lucas again all but beaten by a sensational strike.

However, our old friend The Wind reared its ugly head. With Huddersfield attempting to play into the wind, utility-midfielder Antony Kay's poor clearance was propelled back towards his own goal by the wind, and bizarrely out for a Swindon corner.

Taking the conditions into account, Jon-Paul McGovern's delivery into a mass of red shirts was inch perfect. And as it looked like Paynter was going to head the ball into the back of the net to push The Robins back in front, a combination of the whip on the ball and the wind saw it taken away, and the steward's enquiry is still out as to whether Paynter managed to get anything on the ball, but it sailed safely wide as the scores remained level.

And as both team's continued to battle on, it was Huddersfield who fell first to the conditions, as Charlie Austin's dream start to his career at Swindon got even better. As McNamee had looked weak and lacklustre on the left wing throughout the game, wing back Jean-Francois Lescinel took it on himself to turn Town provider. The Haitian international robbed Anthony Pilkington with a stunning tackle in front of the dugouts. With Austin in the crosshair, Lescinel delivered a sensational ball to the frontman with pinpoint accuracy on the edge of the box. And Austin gave onlookers a small taste of his ability as his deft touch and strength to hold of the challenge of marker meant that a finish was all that was required. The Swindon-born striker sent the County Ground into a frenzy as the net rippled following Austin's drilled shot.
5 minutes on and Austin was replaced by Alex Revell. The striker left the pitch to a standing ovation of 6000+ home fans and a chorus of "There's only one Charlie Austin", a real surreal moment for myself having been an avid Swindon fan for years, and sharing my Primary and Secondary school years with Charlie.

Revell nearly wrapped the game up for Town, as another dangerous corner from Jon-Paul McGovern was put just the wrong side of the goal by the head of the striker.

In an attempt to salvage a point from the game, Lee Clarke bought Theo Robinson into the fray, and with the County Ground in a buoyant atmosphere, the home faithful gave Robinson a taste of their mind, exchanging the Charlie Austin chant with "There's only one Greedy Bastard". And as Robinson skyed a shot into the roof of the Town End, it was clear that Swindon were not going to relinquish their lead, and claimed an impressive victory to push us back in the fray of the playoff battle.

FA guilty of preferential treatment?

Tonight the County Ground plays host to the battle of the birds as The Robins take on The Canaries in the Johnstones Paint Trophy Area Quarter Finals. The home fans will desperately welcome the return of midfielder Jonathan Douglas who has finally come to the end of his ludicrous 4 match ban which saw outrage emanate from the Swindon Town board room and manager's office. Douglas saw an automatic 3 match ban for a questionable straight red card in a high-tempered game at the County Ground against Millwall. Feeling that the Reds' case for appeal was strong, the County Ground officials put together a package that questioned the 3 match ban for a tackle that warranted a caution at most. The FA shot down the appeal in what seemed like a plea for respect and outrageously added an extra game sidelining Douglas for a total of 4 games.

Today, exactly a month since Douglas saw red, there have been at least 2 identical situations, where suspension appeals have been thrown out by the FA. For some reason however, the players in question escaped an extended suspension, baffling County Ground officials and fans alike. Darcy Blake of Plymouth was dismissed in a 1-1 draw with fellow Championship struggles Ipswich Town. Plymouth's appeal against the 3 match ban was ignored, but they faced no similar repercussions as Swindon did. Philipp Degen of Premiership outfit Liverpool was given his marching orders in their 3-1 defeat at Fulham's craven cottage. Again, the appeal was thrown out, but now extension to the 3 match ban was given. The point here being that nobody wants to see the suspension of these players extended, more so an explanation of the almost preferential treatment to two bigger clubs.

In similar circumstances, I make my return after 3 weeks with no football. Its been a long time coming and I'm positively buzzing about tonight. Though the atmosphere will almost certainly be dead at SN1 as the Johnstones Paint Trophy ties continue to struggle to appeal to the more casual supporter, it won't put a damper on my evening. Come on you Reds!

Austin pushing for first team start?

The evidence would suggest that a debut first team start for new signing Charlie Austin could be on the cards, as Town's goalscoring woes continue.

At the start of the season, Town's strikeforce looked diminished, as we failed in our attempts to keep prolific goalscorer Simon Cox at the club, who made an inevitable move to Championship outfit West Brom. (Coxy's prolific record has taken a hit since this move as he struggles for first team starts. Di Matteo, if you happen to stumble upon this blog, offer him to us on loan!).

Barry Corr was another striking casualty, as the injury-prone big man didn't get a contract renewal from Wilson, and was subsequently released to later be snapped up by League 1 rivals Exeter City.

The highly slated but hard working Blair Sturrock fell by the wayside as Wilson took charge, being loaned out to Bournemouth and Torquay United, then later being released as his contract ran out at the end of the season. Sturrock now plys his trade for Mansfield Town in the Blue Square Premier.

In January of this year I watched a reserve team fixture against Swansea, mainly to get a look at two trialists who had one last shot to bag a short term contract from Danny Wilson. Frenchman Hamdi Razak earned his contract by scoring a hat-trick, but went on to make only 3 first team appearances in a red-shirt, before being released when his contract came to an end. The other trialist was a certain Jean-Francois Lescinel who can be found today in the left-back position on a weekly basis at The County Ground.

Lee Peacock finally gave in to a long term back injury that had been troubling him for 4 years, and went under the knife. His rehabilitation has kept him out of action since March. Lee made a return in the last game against Hartlepool in his fight to get back to full fitness.

Ben Joyce made his way up from the Swindon Town youth ranks, but last season made only 1 appearance for the first team before being released at the end of the season as another contract victim.

So going into this season, we were left with 2 strikers on the books, one led in the operating theatre and Billy Paynter. Now don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the big scouse, in fact, I'll be the first to say that he had a massive influence last season on keeping us up, and Coxy's goal tally, as well as his own. But Paynter is not an out and out goalscorer.

The transfer window was unkind to Danny Wilson, who had the full financial backing from the board, helped in part by the selling of Simon Cox and the cut wage bill. But as they say, money can't buy you trophies, and in our case, it couldn't buy us players, as we had contracts turned down and players snatched from under our nose, one Theo Robinson a prime case for the latter. Chairman Andrew Fitton went as far as brandishing agents as criminals, and their job as little more than daylight robbery. And on the opening day of the season, Big Bill was the only fit striker on the books, as we got a 5-0 hammering at the hands of League 1 new boys Gillingham.

For the 2nd league game of the season, we had managed to bring in Tope Obadeyi on-loan from Bolton. Then at the end of August, prior to our match with Southend, Wilson announced a Celtic-duo joining the cause on-loan; Ben Hutchinson and Simon Ferry, the former being a striker. And finally, after the Southend game, Wilson told us that Alex Revell, who had played against us just days before, would be joining on-loan from cash strapped Southend.

But still the goals haven't flowed and though we find ourselves in a healthy position just outside the playoffs, we have a goal-difference of -3 and our four strikers - Billy Paynter, Ben Hutchinson, Alex Revell and Tope Obadeyi have scored a measly 9 goals between them so far.

So whats wrong with one last throw of the dice? Stick the 20 year old Austin into the fray and see what he can do? Well if the above facts and figures weren't evidence enough that this would be going through any managers mind, Austin has scored an impressive 4 goals in 3 reserve appearances in a red shirt, bagging two yesterday afternoon against Plymouth. Food for thought perhaps?

Head of Player Development and Reserve Team Manager David Byrne showed a signal of intent for the striker prior to yesterday's reserve clash;

"He's been brought in to score goals and he's doing it with two in two so there's not a lot more we can expect from him. There are still parts of his game that we're working on, as it's a big step from where he's come from but he's keen, eager and most importantly he wants to score goals. He doesn't look out of place fitness wise, but there are still some edges that need to be polished and Danny's working on those on a daily basis. I think he'll prove to be a good addition to the squad."

The club AGM took place last night, and was dominated with on-field questions for Danny Wilson. After being asked about Charlie, Wilson's reply was:

"He has put himself in a great position after a great performance today. His levels of performance are improving and he could be in contention before you know it."

And one final piece of fuel for the fire, the Advertiser are this morning running an article called "Wilson tells strikers to start scoring or face the axe". So with the axe swinging, a gap could be left for Charlie Austin and Lee Peacock.

Oh and before I wrap up, I'll leave you with this comment from the AGM:

"The Club have a fantastic relationship with Simon Cox and we would like to think that if he did come out on loan, then we would be a very serious consideration for him."

Fingers crossed eh?

Town crash as unbeaten streak comes to an abrupt end

Prior to the visit of Chris Turner's Hartlepool United to the County Ground, Town had suffered only one defeat in the league all season, that being the 5-1 thrashing away at Gillingham on the season's opening day. Since then we've been witness to a host of mature and solid performances, so today's performance against Wilson's former employers came as a shock to the system, but perhaps is just what the doctor ordered, ahead of a couple of games against top opposition in Norwich and Leeds.

I was surprisingly sober for the trip to the County Ground, one which we made a little earlier than normal in an attempt to catch Aston Villa's impressive performance as they entertained Chelsea. The night previous I had spent fleecing a few mates playing Poker. Cheers ;-)

In all honesty, it was quite a drab 90 minute display, and by far the worst performance this season bar the Gillingham hammering. The tone of the match was set early on, as Swindon's defensive frailties were exposed all to easily. Kevin Amankwaah, rarely a weak link, wouldn't have made it one round with Anne Robinson, as he Adam Boyd all the time on the edge of the box to fabricate the perfect cross. And when striker James Brown is on the receiving end, you are usually forced to pay, as Town were when Brown headed passed a stranded David Lucas to give Hartlepool the lead 90 seconds into the game.

Town fans, players and manager alike seemed shell shocked, and it was a blow that Swindon would never really recover from. Over the next 7 minutes The Robins tried to put the early sucker punch behind them, with Tope Obadeyi looking lively after returning from a hamstring injury. His antics on the left wing caused problems, and he appeared to have come into the game with a point to prove, but tried to hard as he found himself in areas where he was beaten by the angle, and would lose possession travelling to far when a short pass would have done the trick. He and Ben Hutchinson gave keeper Scott Flinders something to think about, but struggled to really test him with weak and easy shots.

On the 15 minute mark the Town defence was shown up again as Denis Behan's cross evaded every red shirt in the box and fell to James Brown. His fierce shot flew just wide of the goal, a huge let off for Town as Callum Kennedy looked evidently out of sorts against the opposition.

10 mins later the home fans were awakened as Jon-Paul McGovern fell victim to a lunge tackle from Richie Jones. Chants of "OFF, OFF" rang out around the County Ground, but the home fans desperate attempt to level the Town's off performance with Jones' dismissal weren't granted as he picked up the first yellow card of the game.

Then we saw a small flicker of fight in the underbelly of Town. Anthony McNamee collected Jon-Paul McGovern's superb lofted pass on the wide right, cut inside onto his preferred left foot and curled and effort just wide of Flinders' goal, Swindon's first real chance of the game.

The Referee was then called upon to reach into his pocket once more, as another rare Town attack was halted by a blatant bodycheck from Gary Liddle, bagging him a yellow card to his name. Kennedy stepped up but his free-kick reflected the rest of his performance as it flew over the bar.

A minute later lightning struck twice for Town, as former Robin Andy Monkhouse secured his second goal in as many seasons against his former employers. A neat Pools break caught Callum Kennedy out once more as Adam Boyd dinked the ball forward for the chasing James Brown. Brown's first time ball across the box was met by the incoming Monkhouse who fired low passed Kevin Amankwaah and David Lucas to double the scoreline.Monkhouse then rubbed salt in the wounds of the downed Swindon fans, and for the second time in as many games I was outraged in the stands, as Monkhouse headed straight for the Don Rogers' Stand, turned his back and gestured towards his name before punching the air. The vocal distaste from the County Ground forced the referee to issue his third yellow card to Monkhouse for unsportsman-like behaviour, an incident Monkhouse later described as "a bit of banter". I would describe banter as playful conversation or teasing amongst mates, and I think perhaps Monkhouse was the only on who saw this as any of the above terms.

The half time whistle drew a close to a poor first half performance much to the relief of the bewildered home fans. Wilson had evidently been watching the same game as us, and replaced Callum Kennedy with Lescinel Jean-Francois, who had had a torrid time dealing with the almost constant attacking prowess Hartlepool had brought to the table.

The 2nd half started as a quiet affair, with little of note happening until Lee Peacock came on for Alex Revell to make his first league start of the campaign following his long spell on the sidelines.

And the two changes appeared to have made a difference as Swindon began to pile on some much needed pressure if anything was to be salvaged from this game. After a spell of health possession, Tope Obadeyi found himself with an excellent opportunity to begin the Town comeback. A teasing cross was sent towards the far post from Jon-Paul McGovern's right boot, but Obadeyi could do little more than head the ball into the goalkeeper's hands, as Swindon's impotency in front of goal continued.

As patience wore thin within the 4 sides of the County Ground, Wilson made one last throw of the dice, bringing on fan favourite Billy Paynter in place of Ben Hutchinson. Looking fresh and up for it Billy Paynter chased everything and once again gave 100%, and I think could be looking at getting back into the starting-11 as we continue to struggle for goals.

The next chance fell to the scouser himself as McGovern's free kick was flicked on by Scott Cuthbert. Paynter had time to control the ball in the area and pick his mark, but instead fired his shot straight into Flinders clutches, who would like to play against our attacking line any day of the week.

With the final whistle drawing closer, the pace of the game dropped with it, and Hartlepool were happy to soak up what little pressure we put on their backline. In front of goal Town continued to struggle, as Billy Paynter had more chances in the short time he was on, than the rest of the Swindon team put together. But still the goals wouldn't come. On 80 minutes the icing was put on the cake, and the County Ground conceded the outcome of the day. The ball fell to Lee Peacock in the area following a Jon-Paul McGovern corner. And with Flinders on the deck, Peacock unleashed a goal-bound shot, only to see it blocked and deflected off the line by Tope Obadeyi. The rest of the game whittled away and a chorus of boos echoed around the County Ground as the referee brought a close to the game. Swindon had looked lethargic and sluggish today, and if we go Saturday's away trip to Norwich with a similar attitude, we will get well and truly tonked. Wilson certainly has some work to do over the next 7 days as we look to get over the loss of Jonathan Douglas in the middle of the park, and to start scoring some goals to improve on our -3 goal difference and continue to challenge for a top-6 place, which so far looked like a possibility.

A Look Ahead: Pools come to Town

Saturday sees the visit of Northerners Hartlepool to the hallowed turf of the County Ground, and both sides will be looking to secure 3 points, with only 6 separating the two teams.

It will be a bitter sweet welcoming from Town manager Danny Wilson, who managed Hartlepool for 133 games, leading the Pools to promotion to where they are now, before leaving to ply his trade at SN1 in December 2008. Wilson has also been hailed as the man that kick started James Brown's career (if you watch Soccer Saturday, you'll have heard of Brown thanks to Jeff Stelling). Wilson handed Brown his first-team debut at the tender age of 19 back in 2006 whilst in charge at Victoria Park, and Brown has held down a regular starting place up front and become a fan favourite since.

Another player with links to both clubs is 28 year old Pools Midfielder Andy Monkhouse. "Monkmanaman", as he is affectionately called by the Pools' faithful, due to his likeness in looks and style of play to Steve Mcmanaman, had a short stint at the County Ground when Dennis Wise made him his first signing in June 2006. Niggling injuries kept his first team appearances to a minimum before Wise agreed a loan deal with Hartlepool United. In January of the same season, and after only 12 appearances in a red shirt, a permanent deal was agreed and "Monkey" made the move North. His next encounter with the red and white dynamite, much to The Robins' distaste, saw him score the winning goal in Hartlepool's 1-0 victory over Swindon in February 2007. Amazingly, in this 2006/2007 season, Monkhouse would go 32 league appearances without being on the losing side, until Hartlepool were defeated in April 2007 by Barnet.

Swindon currently have the upper hand in the rivalry between the two clubs, having recorded 10 victories, with Hartlepool having got 3 points against only half the amount of times.

Last season's encounters between the two sides saw Hartlepool come away with the most points. A year to the month, Victoria Park was the venue that saw a thrilling 6 goal encounter between the two sides, and boasting a hat-trick from each side as Hartlepool pulled off an inspired come-back. Unfortunately, this was one that I could only listen to on the radio, unable to make the long trip north. Simon Cox fired Town into a 3 goal lead in what was the season that saw him finish as joint top Goalscorer in all English Professional leagues, tallying 29 goals along with Ricky Lambert. Joel Porter then completed his hat-trick, and the comeback with 2 late goals in the 82nd and 90th minute to stop the Swindon faithful painting the North red. Porter moved back home to Australia at the end of last season to play for newly formed Gold Coast United , so there is no risk of a repeat performance from the 19 goal striker this season.

The reverse fixture of the season at the County Ground in February of this year, saw Hartlepool take all 3 points in controversial fashion. A last minute penalty, literally the last kick of the game was awarded after Jerel Ifil was adjudged to have fouled in the area. These two encounters were just two of many games in this season where Swindon dropped points in the final minutes. A season where if games were played over 80 minutes Swindon would have been sat in a playoff position rather than fighting for their League 1 lives in April of this year.

Ahead of Saturday's match, Swindon have seen a lot of media attention during this week. Wilson attempted to bury the fracas between Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris during Saturday's enigmatic clash with Millwall at the County Ground that saw two dismissals. Wilson had the following to say to the awaiting media at the County Ground today:

“The line has been drawn as far as I’m concerned and this is the end of it,” he said.

“Both players have had their say and both would like to see the end of it.

“Why and how it came to the press in the first place is beyond me. As far as we’re concerned nobody could win - not Millwall, not us, and neither of the players.

“The only people that win are the media, and when washing starts being hung out in public it’s very difficult.

“But at this moment in time it’s fine. Both players have come to a diplomatic agreement and we’ve drawn a line under it. End of story.

“Things happen in the game and there will always be regrets, but that’s the end of it.

“We’ve let Kevin have his say, the Millwall player has had his say and it’s finished.”

More media attention was aimed at the County Ground after Wilson had his appeal surprisingly turned down with regards to Jonathan Douglas' red card and 3 match ban he received against Millwall. The FA also extended the ban to 4 games, an automatic procedure after an appeal is dismissed.

And Wilson, who so far during his reign at the County Ground has kept his thoughts regarding referee's and FA decisions to himself, cut an extremely annoyed figure as he made his thoughts clear to the awaiting press this morning:

“We didn’t just have a good case - we had a great case, a fantastic case,” he fumed.

“And I’m totally pissed off that we didn’t get anything from it, and I’m even more pissed off that he (Douglas) got an extra game.

“We weren’t just going to put it there for the sake of it and hope - we put our money behind it and it’s just thrown out and given an extra game ban.

“Three people sat there and said it was a definite sending off with no input from the referee “I am absolutely incredulous that the decision could be made by those three people like it was.”

“I’m still livid and absolutely pissed off about it, and we can’t do anything about it unfortunately,” said the boss.

“It was not right. We put forward a fair and proper appeal, and from our point of view we’ve been dealt with with an iron rod, basically telling us not to appeal again because this is what we’ll get.

“I don’t see clubs at the top level being punished like this. The top level sides aren’t dealt with the way we are.

“Maybe they are using the lower league clubs as examples, I don’t know.

“We are encouraged to appeal, so we appeal and then we get punished for appealing.

“You tell me where the fairness is in that.”

A lot of pissing going on here. Unfortunately, the video of the interview has yet to surface on STFC Player. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and if it does surface you'll be able to watch it here at The Robins' Nest. The Swindon Advertiser went with the headline of "Thanks for sweet FA!" for this story, very witty.

Moving slightly away from the media spotlight of the County Ground, but not completely, 15 year old winger Alex Henshall came on for his country in the Under 16 Victory Shield tournament shown live on Sky Sports on Thursday night. The tournament sees England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales put together a team of Under-16's to compete for the shield. England beat Wales 1-0 with Henshall bagging the assist after an inch perfect cross. Henshall is one of the bright starlets to have come through the renowned (believe it or not) Swindon Youth Academy, following in the footsteps of several others including Ben Tozer who was snapped up by Newcastle, Lukas Jutkiewicz who was signed by Everton and is currently on-loan at Motherwell, and Sean Morrison who still laces his boots in the Town first team. Henshall was named MVP (Most Valued Player) this year at the annual Milk Cup tournament of Northern Ireland, a bonanza of youth talent on display at the tournament and where many a Premiership footballer competed in the younger years.

Henshall has been included as sub at Swindon so could be close to breaking into the first team. A bid from Chelsea was turned down by Swindon earlier this year, with Man Utd, Sunderland and Everton also declaring their interest in the talented defender.

Getting back to tomorrow's game, Wilson still has some decisions to make following the 1-1 draw with Millwall. Jonathan Douglas will be absent due to his suspension, giving the likes of Michael Timlin and Craig Easton a chance of holding down a regular starting place. There are no changes to the long-term injury list with Alan O'Brien (hamstring), Kurt Hammonds (knee), Hasney Aljofree (knee), Lloyd Macklin (leg fracture) and Yinka Casal (knee) all still ruled out. Lee Peacock continues to race towards full match fitness and could feature, although this looks doubtful with Tope Obadeyi returning after recovering from Flu and signing an extension to his loan deal until November 14th.

For the blue shirts, Ben Clark, the scorer of the controversial penalty that gave Hartlepool 3 points here last season has just begun full training after a groin injury, but has been ruled out of tomorrow's game by manager Chris Turner, who minus Clark, has a full team to pick from, including Andy Monkhouse, who will be looking for his 2nd goal against his former employees.

Mid-week Update

I've skipped the match report from the Millwall game just passed as Swindon have dominated League 1 news this week for various reasons.

If you follow my blog regularly you will have done well to miss the Amankwaah-Harris Saga that still refuses to disappear. Yesterday Kevin hit back with fresh claims that his words to Neil Harris were said in retaliation to physical and racial abuse; which this morning Neil Harris has categorically denied:
“I am both angry and upset that Kevin Amankwaah, after seemingly offering an apology for his insulting remarks towards me on Saturday which I had accepted, should now decide to try and justify himself.

“I can categorically state that Amankwaah’s insult was not in response to any racial comment and his accusations of verbal and physical abuse are frankly laughable. Passions were inflamed following an incident during the game and there was a bit of pushing and shoving, nothing more.

“It is demeaning to get into a public ‘who said what to whom’ argument. I am comfortable that I have nothing to reproach myself for."

In my opinion Kevin was forced into what Neil says is "justifying himself" by the constant media barrage that the events have Saturday have had. I've been thinking about the whole situation: Amankwaah originally denied Harris' claims after Saturday's game, then the next day, following a media attack on him both Kevin and STFC issued an apology. I think this u-turn happened in order to avoid an FA probe into the situation and to put it to bed once and for all, to allow STFC and Kevin to concentrate on football. Kevin was then accused by the media of being forced by the Swindon dressing-room and board room against his will into apologising to Neil, meaning Kevin had to come out and explain why he apologised, and STFC to come out and say that Kevin was the driving force behind it all. If there was racial and physical abuse that Kevin received, he was going to get on with it so as not to draw the whole saga out, but the media have not let this one go, so Kevin, knowing he's now in this for the long haul, has brought up the abuse that he suffered on the field Saturday.

Danny Wilson had the following to say on the matter:

“We wanted to give Kevin’s side of things because there have been one or two reports in the national newspapers which are completely untrue

“He’s offered an apology but still there’s things being written which are not true, so he has to put across his side of the story. We back him to the hilt.”

As the saga rears its ugly head once more, I can only hope that this ongoing incident doesn't have an adverse effect on Amankwaah's on-field performances - being on of the best players on the pitch this season.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Douglas, who was dismissed early on in Saturday's encounter between Millwall and Swindon, has had his appeal against a 3-match ban turned down and it extended to 4. The referee described that tackle as high, double-footed and that Douglas had no control. Now, if you watch the video footage again you will see that the tackle was low, one-footed and Douglas had control. Just seeing these 3 factors makes me amazed how the FA can not only turn the appeal down but also to extend the suspension! Also, if you do watch the footage you will see that after the tackle, the referee gives a freekick to Millwall, then continues running as if he expects play to resume quickly. He makes no gesture to going towards his pocket, or even to talk to Douglas, until a conglomerate of blue-shirted players surround the incident and push away Douglas as he tried to help the victim of the tackle up. Being at the game, my first reaction was that the sending off was for Douglas' retaliation who pushed an arm in his chest away before being shown the red card.

The whole incident is outrageous and I still cannot believe any of it warranted a 4 match ban. I'm not usually one to openly criticise, but criticism where criticism is due, the handling of this by the referee and FA is a complete shambles.

Wilson said the following:

“It’s one-footed, low and he’s totally in control of the situation.

“We’ve done everything,” he said. “We watched it a million times, slowed it down, watched replays in slow motion, had an independent view on the situation that developed, and we appealed.

“We sent our review and our opinions in to the FA and wouldn’t have appealed if we hadn’t of thought we could win the it. We felt we had a great case.”

Just the reaction from both sets of fans when the red card was shown was enough to know it was the wrong decision.

Elsewhere, some good news for town ahead of Saturday's County Ground clash with Hartlepool. Tope Obadeyi is back in the fray following a hamstring injury and Flu. He's also on the verge of extending his loan from Bolton, who have said they see Tope playing at this level as key to the 19 year old's development and push for the first team.

The reserves were in action last night away at Salisbury and came away 3-0 victors with goals from Lee Peacock, who continues his recovery to full match fitness, Charlie Austin, who seems to be knocking at Wilson's door for his first full team start, and 17 year old Billy Bodin who has just returned from International duty after receiving his first under-21 cap for Wales. Whilst things seem to take a turn for the worse of the pitch and in the media, it seems the lads are doing their bit on the pitch and giving Wilson food for thought in League 1.

Now, without Douglas absent for 4 games, it gives a chance for fringe players Michael Timlin and Craig Easton to impress. Timlin has a couple of appearances to his name, whilst Easton has seen most of his football bossing the reserves at captain, both will be trying to seize upon Douglas' misfortune to hold down a first team place, even after Douglas' return.

We stretched our unbeaten run to 11 league games after the draw with Millwall, but fans will be expecting 3 points come 5 o'clock this Saturday after entertaining Hartlepool at the County Ground.

Update on the Amankwaah Cancer Jibe Story

Following my recent blog post regarding the events of Saturday's clash between Swindon and Millwall at the County Ground, it would appear that "Big Kev" has had enough of the situation. As i mentioned before it would appear it has been blown out of all proportion, and a 2nd Club Statement has been released:

Despite yesterday's statement relating to the Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris verbal exchange during the Millwall FC fixture last Saturday, which contained Kevin Amankwaah's apology for any offence that his remarks may have caused, the issue has not been allowed to rest.

Kevin Amankwaah would like to dispel any suggestion that he was forced into making any statement by his teammates, he made the statement entirely under his own volition and his action enjoys his teammate's full support. Furthermore, Kevin would like to state that it was the racial abuse that he was initially subjected to that provoked him into responding in the way that he did.

"I had hoped that my statement of yesterday would have brought closure to this regrettable situation but now it would appear that I am being held up as the scapegoat. Therefore I feel compelled to make people aware of the racial and physical abuse that I received on the day, which included passing comment on my origins and physical assault - both of which were totally unacceptable," stated Amankwaah.

"My comments may have been misplaced but equally racial and physical abuse has no place in football. I have held my hands up and apologised for what I said, but now I think it would be appropriate if others did the same."

Swindon Town FC is fully committed to Kicking Racism Out of Football and this coming weekend Swindon Town FC will be participating in the Kick Racism Out of Football initiative and over 1,000 school children are anticipated at The County Ground for the Hartlepool United fixture, as part of this initiative.

It would seem that the "mild mannered" hero that The Sun newspaper and various other media outlets built Neil Harris up to be, isn't quite living up to that standard, with the new allegations of racial and physical abuse to Kevin Amankwaah. Just because you've had testicular cancer and have built are the patron of a successful charity apparently doesn't negate a person's true colours.

As expected its now apparent that Saturday's events go much deeper than just the surface that was scratched by the media in order to run a "hero and villain" news piece that has in turn wrongly damaged the reputation of STFC and Kevin Amankwaah.

Morale of this story, don't believe everything you read in the paper's kids.

The Robins and Lions come to a head as tempers flare at the County Ground

You may or may not have read in the back pages about the high-octane game at the Country Ground on Saturday just gone. The match between my beloved Swindon and Millwall broke down as the referee and players lost control. Both teams were reduced to 10-men after two separate incidents and two further players Kevin Amankwaah and Neil Harris picked up yellow cards as they had to be separated following the foul that saw Andy Frampton receive his marching orders.

Unfortunately, it would appear that the two yellow cards were received in unceremonious circumstances. The Sun are reporting that Kevin Amankwaah taunted Neil Harris over the testicular cancer that he successfully fought off 8-years earlier. And it has confirmed that today that Kevin Amankwaah and STFC have apologised to Harris over "remarks" made during Saturday's game.

Don't get me wrong, if indeed Amankwaah did taunt Harris over his cancer, I certainly do not condone this, neither on the football pitch or anywhere in the world. I do, however, believe this has been thrown out of all proportion. The whole game on Saturday was played at full pace and a host of 100% tackles and some poor refereeing meant that every Swindon fan was as vocal as we have ever been this season, and looking back I bet there were things that we all said due to the conditions and atmosphere. The Sun has picked Harris as the victim here, describing him as "mild mannered" and also claim to have interviewed a Millwall player who "asked not to be named". They fail to mention that if such a thing was said by Kevin Amankwaah, it would have been completely out of character, as I would like to bet that Kev is even more mild-mannered than Harris, who in comparison during the game on Saturday, looked angry and fiery even before the incident of note.

So, in Kevin's defence I'd like to ask anyone who read this Sun article to take it with a pinch of salt. No doubt words were exchanged in Saturday's encounter but it would be extremely unlike Kev to have said what he did, and I don't think that Amankwaah and Harris are the ONLY guilty parties here.

A full match report of Saturday's action will be available shortly.

Here we go again!

I wouldn’t blame you if you were to get confused over this blog entry and think I’m repeating myself, as Tuesday night saw the Swindon faithful, all 189 of us, travel back to St. James Park, Exeter for an identical fixture in a matter of 7 days.

This time a place in the the Johnstones Paint Trophy Area Quarter Finals is up for grabs, and this time, there would HAVE to be a winner, with the tie going straight to penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes.

I made the trip West the night before the big-game this week to spend some time with my Danes’ Road Uni mates. The plan was to take it easy Monday night, and then get on the session Tuesday night. Somehow this turned into getting on the session Monday night and feeling sorry for ourselves Tuesday night, but it was well worth it. Check out Facebook to see why.

I think for the first time this season we made our way to the ground with literally minutes to spare as sober as a judge. 189 Swindon fans had made the midweek journey, hats off to all that did. A quick check on me mobily for the team sheets chucked up a bit of a surprise. Wilson had tinkered with his side a little for the JPT fixture, whilst adhering to 2006’s rule that states you must play at least 6 players with the most appearances in their respective positions. Phil Smith got his 2nd appearance of the season as first choice David Lucas dropped to the bench. Jean-Francois Lescinel regained his left back berth over youngster Callum Kennedy who has occupied it for the last two games, and Michael Timlin steps into the centre of midfield to replace Simon Ferry. The bench was also looking a bit different, including new signing Charlie Austin, and 15 year old starlet, Alex Henshall, who would be Swindon’s youngest ever first team player if he came on, taking the record from winger Lloyd Macklin who is currently on the treatment table with a leg fracture.

It took 10 minutes for the first real chance of the game, thanks to the creativity of our once very own Barry Corr. He capitalised on Jonathan Douglas’ poor clearance by heading down for Richard Logan on the edge of the area. Logan, who rescued a point a week earlier, had been handed a start tonight by manager Tisdale. Unfortunately for Exeter, he was unable to replicate his form and sent his half volley narrowly over the bar.

Saturday saw two Swindon strikers open their accounts for the season against Brentford. Hutchinson scored one whilst Revell bagged himself two in the 3-2 victory at Griffin Park. Ben Hutchinson went close to doubling his tally on 16 minutes with Swindon showing signs of their attacking prowess. The Celtic loanee met Jean-Francois Lescinel’s cross on the volley. He got the technique all right but was unable to direct it past 2nd choice keeper Andy Marriott.

However, a minute later, Marriott was beaten in extraordinary fashion by tricky winger Anthony McNamee. Whether he meant it or not only he will know, but I’m sure he will claim he was going for goal. Macca hit a cross-cum-shot from the left wing after taking on one defender, stood back and watched his spectacular effort sail into the far corner as Marriott was caught off-guard.

Exeter fought back almost immediately after falling behind as they had a week previously. Barry Corr directed his header well wide of Smith’s goal after connecting with a nice delivery from Adam Stansfield. And shortly after Smith was tested from Richard Logan who would be trying to prove Tisdale made the right decision to start him. He forced a save from ex-Millwall keeper Phil Smith with a half-volley but Smith was equal to his shot and kept the scores level.

But it was Swindon again who came closest to adding to the score line. Jon-Paul McGovern already has two to his name this time round but he should have had three as McNamee’s crossing terrorised the Exeter defence. McGovern slid in at the far post to meet Macca’s dangerous ball in but Marriott made a great save to deflect the ball clear.

The tie had turned into a back and forth game of football, much to the delight of the 2,006 supporters in St. James Park. On 37 minutes, and out-of-character mistake from captain Gordon Greer gave Adam Stansfield a clear run on goal. His shot heading for the far bottom corner was turned around the post by Phil Smith, who looked like he had something to prove to manager Danny Wilson, and was on fine form!

And as half-time loomed, Exeter had another superb chance to go in level at the break, but Smith’s inspired performance continued to keeper the Grecians at bay. James Dunne spotted Smith, who is serving his 4th season with the Robins, off his line. Dunne attempted a spectacular 25-yard lob, but Smith saw what was coming and backtracked to tip the ball that was heading for the far corner over the bar superbly.

A very equal and enjoyable first half came to a close with Town just edging their noses in front with that bizarre Anthony McNamee goal.

Paul Tisdale made a change at the break, replacing Barry Corr, much to the jeers of the travelling support as it would mean Corr was unable to make an account against his former employees in two meetings so far, and would have to wait until April for his next chance. Scott Golbourne replaced the tall striker. Wilson kept his team unchanged as Town looked to press on and build on the 1-0 lead McNamee had secured in the first 45 minutes.

Swindon started the 2nd half brightly, looking to bury the game, something we’ve struggled to do this term. Alex Revell was on the prowl for his 3rd in a Swindon shirt and possibly an extension on his loan deal that will keep him in a red shirt until January. He managed to wriggle free of some tight Devonshire marking before firing in a low shot forcing a one-handed stretched save out of 38 year old Andy Marriott. Having played second fiddle to his younger counterpart 18 year old Oscar Jansson, Marriott was making a good account for himself today. Anthony McNamee then nearly chalked his 2nd on the board but he could only send his shot wide of the goal.

As Exeter struggled to create any positive chances so far in the 2nd half, Tisdale tinkered a bit more, bringing on fan favourite Stuart Fleetwood for James Dunne who had gone close with his lob in the first half.

And as the game fizzled out to a midfield battle riddled with mistakes, Lee Peacock made his way off the bench for his first taste of first team action since going under the knife on a long-standing back injury in March this year. He received a warm welcome from the travelling faithful.

Exeter then had a what at first look seemed a strong penalty appeal turned down by the referee. In the 75th minute, substitute Stuart Fleetwood had cut inside on the right wing, passing Gordon Greer and looked to have been brought down by Scott Cuthbert in the area. The referee waved away any Grecian protests and after having a 2nd look, it appears that Fleetwood was looking for the spot-kick and may have fell a bit too easily, no doubt a controversial subject among rival fans.

Tisdale played his last throw of the dice in an attempt to force penalties, as he replaced Steve Tully with Neil Saunders shortly after the penalty appeal.

Peacock had an excellent opportunity to mark his return to action with what would surely be the winning goal. He capitalised on some slack defending and found himself one on one with Marriott. The striker who’s been with The Robins since 2006 was let down by his touch, perhaps a bit rusty after his spell on the sidelines and Marriott was able to recover and parry Peacock’s shot wide for a corner. The 32 year old still managed a smile for the 189 fans applauding him for his effort and return to the game.

New signing Charlie Austin then received a warm welcome to his playing career at Swindon as he entered the fray in place of Ben Hutchinson. Chances were few and far between for Swindon and Austin had little time to make an impact on the game, though chased hard in an attempt to make chances for himself.

And as the 4th official indicated 3 minutes of injury, it was then that Swindon slipped into their old ways. Richard Logan managed a flick on for substitute Stuart Fleetwood, who’s superb deft touch put a perfectly weighted ball over the head of Phil Smith and into the back of the net. With the last kick of the game, Swindon had once again relinquished a 1-0 win, and would have to partake in the footballing lottery that is penalties.

I must admit, my confidence for the upcoming penalty shootout was low. Having conceded so late in the game yet again, I thought heads would drop. And we’ve a pretty poor record when it comes to penalty shootouts, already dropping out of the Carling Cup earlier this season to Wolves after making a decent account of ourselves in 120 minutes.

However, my gut instincts were gladly proven wrong, as Town’s players put in a confident and experienced looking display in the shootout. Exeter took the first penalty, with Richard Logan stepping up to convert. And convert he did sending Phil Smith the wrong way. Jon-Paul McGovern then tucked his corner passed Marriott who had guessed the right corner. Daniel Seabourne then saw his penalty go under Smith who had got close to it. Michael Timlin then sent Marriott the wrong way as he made it 2-2 in the shootout. Matthew Taylor then took a long run up and saw his penalty hit the back of the net, even though Smith appeared to be getting closer and closer to each penalty, it looked like he got a touch on this one before it went in. Captain Gordon Greer, who had missed his penalty against Wolves converted a calm penalty to keep Swindon’s Wembley dream alive. Then the heroics hit. Phil Smith made a great save to deny Neil Saunders’ penalty and with the advantage now swinging the Wiltshire team’s way, Kevin Amankwaah sent Marriott the wrong way to pile all the pressure onto Exeter’s next penalty taker, Stuart Fleetwood. It was a bitter sweet penalty save from Phil Smith that sent Swindon through to the Area Quarter Finals, as the man who’s injury time lob gave Exeter a lifeline, failed to convert his penalty, and justice from the travelling fans point of view, had been served.

Saturday we welcome Millwall to the County Ground, and Wilson I’m sure will be trying to heal this mental issue we seem to have with conceding late goals. Yet again we’ve given up a lead, but you cannot fault Swindon’s coolness to convert their penalties, and Phil Smith’s heroics throughout the 90 minutes and shootout. Onwards and upwards, the Wembley dream is truly alive and well, and I’ll be setting my alarm for the Johnstones Paint Trophy draw live on Soccer:AM Saturday morning.