March 15 – Swindon Shock Arsenal
AFTER yesterday’s story about a great triumph for Arsenal, today we are looking at perhaps their lowest ebb, but more than that, it was also the greatest day in the history of another club: Swindon Town.
Today in 1969 Swindon and Arsenal lined up against each other at Wembley for the League Cup final. Despite not having won a trophy for 16 years, the Gunners were heavy favourites for the tie. They were riding high in Division One and were beaten finalists the previous year, while Swindon, the plucky underdogs from Wiltshire, were all the way down in Division Three.
No one gave the Robins a hope against the Gunners whose team included Bob Wilson, Frank McLintock and Bobby Gould.
But before kick off there were already signs that the footballing gods had taken a shine to Swindon. First of all the Arsenal camp had been hit by a flu bug, putting eight of their first team squad out of action. And there was also the state of the Wembley pitch. Having hosted the Horse of the Year Show the previous week the turf was badly cut up and certainly not conducive to a neat passing game.
The match started well enough for the London team as they set out to take the game to Swindon but it was the Robins who drew first blood when an uncharacteristic mix up between Bob Wilson and his defence saw Peter Noble take advantage and lay the ball off to Roger Smart who scored. He could hardly believe it and neither could the thousands of Swindon fans in the stands but the Third Division side was in front.
And so they held on, agonizingly until the 86th minute when Peter Downsborough, who had performed heroics in the Swindon goal all afternoon, came for a ball he was never going to get and Bobby Gould headed in the equaliser. It was heart break for Swindon who had been so close to the trophy.
The Gunners may have been expected to push on and win it now but in extra time it was Swindon who were posing the greater threat and it paid off in the 104th minute when Don Rogers srambled the ball into the net from a corner.
Arsenal finally poured men forward, perhaps now genuinely worried they would lose, but it merely left space at the back and with ten minutes left to play Rogers found himself on the ball with only Bob Wilson for company in the Arsenal half. He drove forward and took it round Wilson as cool as you like before slotting home the winner.
“I always considered one-on-ones to be the best part of my game,” said Wilson. “But Don Rogers shaped to do something and then just dipped his shoulder. I was all over the place and the ball was in the back of the net.”
Swindon had done it. They had won the first (and so far only) major trophy in their history and Wembley erupted as their fans went crazy.
Wilson said: “After the match I felt absolute, total deflation at having lost. It was 16 years since the club had won any major trophy and it had started to become a real millstone.”
Frank McLintock was equally flabbergasted. Years later he recalled the moments after the final whistle had gone: “To be honest I didn’t know where I was. I was totally devastated. After 16 years with Arsenal not winning a trophy I thought this was going to be the one. We were massive favourites to win the game but it turned out to be a wonderful day for Swindon Town.”
“I’m not attempting to make any excuses because I thought Swindon were terrific on the day,” he said. “But six of us had flu and it didn’t help that the pitch was cut up so badly. I certainly don’t think the game would have gone ahead today. I performed very strongly for the 90 minutes but then when it got to extra-time my legs just went completely.”
The papers the next day were full of praise for Swindon, and full of venom for Arsenal. Alan Hoby of the Sunday Express wrote: “Arsenal, slaves of their own system, methodical but utterly predictable, were finally unhinged by the individual brilliance and flair of the Swindon stars – the small town Cinderellas whom cynics expected to lose to the North London favourites by a bucketful of goals.”
Under the headline ‘The Shame of Arsenal’, Desmond Hackett of the Daily Express wrote on the Monday following the game: “By the time you are reading this, the football prophets – and none so unprophetic as myself – should have been on the long penitents’ crawl to Swindon. There to apologise to one of the best teams seen at Wembley.
“Let us get this straight. Swindon made this Football League Cup Final. Their fighting spirit, their fitness, and their pride were a rebuke to a once-famous team called Arsenal.
“Do not look to the frailties of Arsenal as an excuse for the splendour of Swindon. Look with admiration at these heroic athletes from the Third Division who reduced the traditions of Arsenal to a miserable myth.”
The day after the match the Swindon team returned home to a heroes welcome as thousands turned out in the town centre to greet Arsenal’s conquerers. Even today the triumph is remembered fondly. Swindon Town historian Chris Scott, 75, said last month: “I think that day was the most important in Swindon’s history. Others would say it was when we won promotion to the Premier League but for a Third Division team to beat a top side like Arsenal in a cup final was unheard of.”
Today is also an important day in the history of another great club. Click here to find out more. Otherwise, until tomorrow dear reader, until tomorrow.
No related posts.
Loading ...
