Norwegian Swindon Town supporter Hans J Tandsether of HeiaSwindon.com provides his view on events at the County Ground throughout November.

So here we are again. Another month gone by and for Swindon Town it has been a great month. It all started with a 2-0 victory away against Port Vale and it was really great to see Lukas Magera get a debut goal for the club. He has been very unlucky with injuries so far, and it was also quite ironic that he would get injured again in the following match against AFC Wimbledon in the JPT.

After a quality Oliver Risser goal the game against Dons went all the way to penalties. Fortunately Phil Smith turned out to be the hero of the day when he saved a couple of AFC Wimbledon penalties due to great research work from Smithy himself and goalie coach Domenico Dorado.

The following weekend Swindon Town faced Huddersfield Town in the world’s oldest and most beautiful football tournament – the FA Cup.

Much to my surprise I found out pretty late that the game was to be shown on Via Sat football here in Norway.  I didn’t have the time to travel to my closest football pub (about 45 minutes drive) so I had to stick with live stream on my laptop.

I was stuck by the kitchen table in our small apartment with earphones to keep the football away from my missus and little daughter. I managed to frighten them four times anyway because of the spontaneous joy I felt when Swindon scored their goals. In fact my little daughter became so curious that she joined in to watch the game in the second half – hopefully a nice change from the usual ‘Timmy Time’.

Although my missus doesn’t actually bother about football I do hope my daughter will take up the interest and maybe in Swindon Town! I really look forward to seeing her starting to play football and I really hope she will. I won’t push her towards it, but often kids take up the same interest as their parents so it will be a close run between baking and football for her sake I guess…

I couldn’t believe we won 4-1 against a team that were unbeaten in 42 league games and I am thrilled that I got to see that game. I just hope it will be available on DVD.

I remember in my early days as Swindon fan in the early 90s I ordered VHS tapes from the club shop in Swindon by phone. They cost me a fortune but it was my only way to get to see the highlights here in Norway. Now with the internet technology people do not seem to want physical formats like DVD etc. anymore, so I guess I’ll find it elsewhere. I’d really like it on a classic DVD though. I remember the club made a VHS of the miraculous 6-4 away victory against Birmingham. It’s somewhere in my boxes of old stuff but I wonder if I ever will be able to see it again. I would need to transfer it from VHS to DVD I guess.

Anyway – high on the FA Cup the next game was away against AFC Wimbledon. I thought at first it would be easy three points but after the game I was quite happy with one. The frustrating bit was the referee as usual. I heard he missed a blatant foul on Caddis in the dying seconds of the game that probably cost us all three points.

The last game of the month was at home to Aldershot and a 2-0 win crowned a good month for Swindon Town.  A month that I thought would be remembered for the 4-1 win against Huddersfield and the fact that Paolo Di Canio once again would consolidate.

A few of his continental players did not settle as good as he had hoped for and after the Atiku exit the latest player out of the club was thought to be keeper Mattia Lanzano. I guess moving to a different country and a different culture all by your self can take its toll and maybe it was a good thing for a player like Lander Gabilondo that his brother joined him in England as well. He’s playing for Fairford Town as well as being a familiar social support to Lander.

You can never know what goes on inside a person’s mind however and to wake up Sunday to the terrible news about Gary Speed really shocked both me and the whole football family around the world. Suddenly November was not to be remembered for winning 4-1 against Huddersfield in the FA Cup but about the fact that you can never ever prepare yourself for the mysteries of life and the inner life of human beings. Let’s hope people – and especially men that tend to be more closed about their inner life – can learn to be open about things that are on their minds. Ask your friends how they are doing. Let’s have a December to be remembered for all the good things only.

Take care and COYR from Norwegian Red

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