Mulling over the past few results, I'm sure I wouldn't be ridiculed for thinking that perhaps we didn't want automatic promotion, and would prefer going up via the esteemed route of Wembley? OK I admit it would be nuts to think like that! But we do hold an unbeaten record at Wembley, albeit dating back quite a few years. But for those of you that didn't know, as far as I'm aware Town have graced the hallowed turf a total of 3 times, and have come out victorious each time. Please correct me if I'm wrong!Anyways, in 1969 we defeated the mighty Arsenal 3-1 to win the League Cup, and is by far the highest regarded point in the club's history. The rules stated that League Cup winners would gain passport to the then "Champions League equivalent" if you will; the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was later revealed that this was not the case, and only League Cup winners from Division 1 would be eligible for the tournament. Instead, the short-lived Anglo-Italian Cup was created. Town appeared victorious in both incarnations of the tournament, which was made famous more for hooliganism, than a European footballing extravaganza. The final had to be abandoned, with Town being awarded the trophy as they were 3-0 up, and the tournament was never held again!
20 or so years later we made our 2nd appearance at Old Wembley, and won promotion to Division 1 (now the Premiership) with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. Celebrations were short-lived as financial irregularities seeped through the foundations laid by a previous regime and Swindon received tough punishment for "illegal payments", which saw their promotion overturned and were further relegated to Division 3, the latter being successfully overturned under appeal.
Our final and most recent trip saw Town being promoted to the Premiership for our first ever foray into top-flight football. In 1993, a 4-3 victory over Leicester in the Division 1 playoffs sealed the promotion.
Now, 17 years on, it is becoming more likely that a trip to Wembley will be inevitable to successfully complete the promotion push that has been launched by Danny Wilson's men this season. If we make it there, will we have what it takes to keep our untarnished Wembley record in-tact. Or will the mounting media and public exposures see us crack under the pressure similar to our close-season?
A trip to Wembley would be great but give me automatic any day!
