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For the past 12 years, uncertainty and inconsistency followed Swindon. But for those supporters, their spirit remained a constant.
I took my seat inside the County Ground, took my headphones out and listened to the spectators around me. The enthusiasm for their team was infectious and their hope admirable. Some say supporting a football club is like being in a marriage. But for Swindon fans, it is slightly different.
Instead, their affiliation with the club mirrors a person in two different relationships. The Robins had long been flirting with both League 1 and League 2, but are still yet to settle on one they should be in.
However, this year something is unique in the surrounding Swindon air. There is a real sense of togetherness and more decisively, confidence.
After lurking in the football league basement, a renewed optimism has returned under Richie Wellens. Their 1-0 win against Mansfield moved them three points clear of fourth place and are firm favourites to be promoted.
At his point of arrival just over 12 months ago, Wellens inherited a Swindon side that were 17th and faced the daunting prospect of relinquishing their football league status. But a mini-revival towards the back-end of the season followed, culminating in the side missing out on a play-off place.
In the summer, Wellens set about re-building a squad the loyal, close-knit Swindon community could get behind. 14 players were brought in – each one capable of coping with the physical and technical demands of Wellens’ style.
And after their fifth successive victory against Mansfield on Saturday, the Wiltshere-based outfit provided further evidence that their overhaul in the summer, worked.
Still ?#STFC ? pic.twitter.com/BWmdCdR4qu
— Swindon Town FC (@Official_STFC) November 23, 2019
In the 24th minute, one of their summer signings opened the scoring. Eoin Doyle racked up his 17th goal of the campaign with an instinctive finish six-yards out. Incredibly, Doyle has found the net more than double any other player in the league, averaging a goal every 87 minutes.
The home side went in at the break leading but were fully aware of the threat Mansfield posed. Experienced campaigner Nicky Maynard had two good chances but like most of his teammates, lacked any sort of end product.
It was much the same the second-half as Maynard hit the woodwork before he skied an effort that looked harder to miss. His striking partner Andy Cook followed suit, unable to score from a close-range header.
Swindon legend Paul Caddis rejoined the club last week to aid the promotion push while bringing a sense of nostalgia back to the County Ground. However, the Scot was not just brought back for sentimental purposes. The full-back already appears to be a shrewd addition, marking his first start upon his return with a man of the match performance.
The second debut of the adopted favourite son could have been made even sweeter, had it not been for the post’s intervention which denied Caddis a left-footed screamer.
Wellens’ change to a back-five tightened a creaking Swindon defence for the last 20 minutes. Mansfield’s chances became few and far between and meant the hosts held on to earn a hard-fought victory. Making their way off the pitch, the red shirts were met with a chorus of supporters all singing in unison: “we are top of the league.”
And there it was. Another example of Swindon’s astute, masterful business over the summer that turned them from strugglers to challengers. Eoin Doyle, the embodiment of their dealings, joined on a season-long loan from Bradford and re-affirmed his value to the side.
Sitting as the top scorer across all four divisions, ahead of the esteemed predatory strikers of Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Doyle is at the forefront of spearheading Swindon’s upturn. The general consensus among supporters is that if the striker can stay fit, more likely than not, the club will be playing League 1 football next season; though whisper it quietly.
Coinciding with the fact Swindon arguably play the most polished, stylish football across the 24 teams in League 2 – intent on playing out from the back – promotion would be more than just deserved.
Perhaps the expression that ‘nice guys finish last’ is not always the case. As soon as you set foot inside the ground, you are met with the warmth from everyone connected with the club, whether that is supporters or the people that work there. A community spirit immediately bubbles to the surface and even a neutral is suddenly compelled to root for Swindon.
