If you can stomach it, ‘U’s fan Steve Butcher gives his view of the game from The Stratton Bank. For the first time since October 2000 Oxford United made the short trip along the A420 for a league match against Swindon Town, a game that has been talked about ever since Town’s relegation to League 2 was confirmed last season.
Read moreThis lunchtime the A420 derby returns in all of it’s glory as bitter rivals Swindon Town face Oxford United at the County Ground. A match even more special as this is the first league game between the sides for over ten years. It was back in the 2000/01 season when Swindon were victorious thanks to a double salvo from an unlikely source of Steve ‘Turbo’ Robinson. At
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The derby build-up continues as The Washbag links up with We Are Going Up! The WAGU! podcast co-presenter and STFC supporter Carl McQueen looks at the passion and anger behind the A420 derby and why this is the only game that matters. You big wigs can have your Manchester derby, your Merseyside derby, even your North London derby. League Two types don’t ‘do’ derbies named
Read moreAfter 8 years, 8 months and 12 days – or 274,572,000 seconds if you prefer – the rivalry with Oxford United will be reignited this Sunday afternoon, like one of those trick candles that won’t blow out. Swindon versus Oxford is one of those intensely local, yet underrated derby games that is rarely appreciated and understood outside of these parts. Here is a match full of passion and with its fair
Read moreSuccessive defeats was hardly what we were all expecting having (eventually) put a solid 3 past Crewe on the opening day. Yet a sense of reality and perspective is sorely missing from yet another vocal minority in the post match reactions to our narrow 1-0 defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge. It’s almost like Paul Hart was still in charge… It’s all well and
Read moreThe Overseer Column returns. Warning: The following may contain traces of nuts. Our opposition’s shirt sponsor evoked memories of the TV advertising campaign many moons ago; “You’ve gotta admire a Mira”. To say that Swindon were a shower in their League Two outing against CTFC would be overly harsh. Nevertheless you could argue that somebody somewhere must’ve dropped the soap
Read moreAlex Cooke reports on the action at Town’s visit to Cheltenham. New manager, new division, same old story: Swindon’s ability to implode at Whaddon Road remains a depressing constant. And while this time it didn’t end with the same poison as the 2001 defeat, some Town fans still vented their anger, apparently in one case at Oliver Risser, however, throughout the game Billy Bodin
Read moreIn his first contribution for The Washbag, Andrew Steele-Davis looks at whether Swindon Town’s future is home-grown. When Billy Bodin’s name was bellowed over the tannoy system at the County Ground on Saturday announcing that the young forward was in the starting eleven, it is safe to say you could not have seen that coming a few weeks ago.
Read moreThere is only one way to describe yesterday’s events…what an absolute farce! At 4pm we were all told the most fierce derby in world football was postponed as the Gloucestershire Constabulary couldn’t muster enough resources to police the match. Yet six hours later thankfully some common sense had prevailed owing to a persistent campaign by football supporters of both Swindon and Cheltenham on Twitter
Read moreAfter the City game was postponed, Johno cast his tactics eye over the Crewe game last weekend. Not to be confused with the legendary ‘Townsend’s Tactics’ with Andy Townsend in the back of a white van during ITV’s The Premiership programme, but much like the former midfielder, I’ll try to assess where it went well and wrong for Swindon most
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