Former BBC Wiltshire match commentator Vic Morgan reflects on another A420 derby defeat…

Quite a week this… Let’s start at the beginning shall we? In the words of the song a very good place to start.

Last Saturday’s trip along the A420 was everything I hate about football. As someone who’s watched the game from the mid sixties onward, I’ve seen just about everything there is to see in crowd behaviour. Rarely though, have I enjoyed a match less than our latest local derby.

The atmosphere at the Kassam can only be described as poisonous. It was like a throw back to the awful days of the Seventies and Eighties. We really should have moved on but it appears not. I’m sure there are some who think it’s cool to act ‘ard. It’s not, it’s ridiculous and drags the game back to the dark ages.

I believe in supporting your team loudly and with pride, not like somebody from the pre Stone Age. I saw some at the game who barely watched it, they spent most of the afternoon shouting obscenities at their just as bad opposite numbers. Grow up and watch football for what it is. A sport most of us love and want to prosper. Not have to wade through the mess left by smashed up toilets.

As for the game? An awful afternoon for the Town. A dodgy, to say the least, penalty decision gave the home side the lead, but in truth Swindon got what they deserved from the match. Two sendings off completed a day to forget. Thank goodness that’s over with and we can get back to reality on Saturday when Bury are in town.

I’m not sure what our problem is at the three sided stadium but we can’t win or even score there. Close to the end there was an opportunity to at least put the ball in the back of the net but for some reason it won’t go in. Frustrating is the word. So is being kept behind a steel wall for three quarters of hour to give us safe passage away from the ground. If you disagree with what I’ve written, then bless you, but it was a horrible afternoon and one which, thankfully, doesn’t come around too often.

Now to the subject which will probably bring me howls of derision and I’ll probably disagree with the Editors of this very fine web site. I went to the EFL Trophy game on Tuesday. There I’ve written it, I’m not hiding the fact I went. I didn’t go because I believe passionately in this particular competition, I went because I love to watch Swindon Town play football. It’s as simple as that.

I have every respect for those who wish to boycott the tournament. You have every right to do so. Just as I, and others, have to go to whichever game I want. To be honest, I enjoyed Tuesday night a whole lot more than I did last Saturday. It was good to see young supporters there watching a game without the rancour of the Kassam.

Is it the beginning of the end of football as we know it? No, that happened when the “greed is good” league was set up twenty years ago. The clubs voted for this to take place. I wasn’t a great fan of the Associate Members cup, to give it it’s original name, full stop. I went, and will go to the games though because my team is in it.

It doesn’t make me a bad person just as it doesn’t make you a bad fan if you don’t go. Will the EFL, whatever that is, take note of boycotts? I don’t know. It may be this competition dies anyway. If it does it does, I’m sure not many will miss it.

Hopefully we can all be there without feeling guilty on Saturday.

Keep it loud keep it proud keep it SWINDON!