MANAGER BERT HEAD broke
off from the champagne celebrations after Swindon Town had made sure of
promotion last night, with an 89th-minute goal from reserve inside-left,
Roger Smart, to say, "I have always been confident, right from the
early stages, that our youth policy would see us into Division 2."
"We have had our ups and downs on the way though,
naturally, but our faith has never wavered. Now everybody in the club
has seen all the hard work and time spent on the youth policy rewarded
by the most memorable achievement in the club's history - promotion to
Division 2."
"The secret of our success lies
in the unsparing manner in which everyone has dedicated themselves to
the youth policy and supported my own efforts to bring higher-class
football to Swindon for the first time in the club's history.
"The directors and players have done everything
humanly possible to help achieve this end. The supporters, too, have
played a big part by their magnificent encouragement throughout this
season.
"Like the stature of the club our young players are
continuing to improve - although the acute tension badly disrupted their
play tonight - and I have no doubt, that, given as much encouragement as
we have has this season, we shall make a commendable impression when we
break new and more difficult ground next season."
Jubilant supporters
This was a great day for Swindon, an historic day. A day
which earned them all the wild, mobbing, acclaim they received from
their jubilant supporters... so what does it matter now that we had
nearly a games-length of anxiety and worry before that memorable goal
was scored... worry which came because of the manner, the understandable
manner, in which nerves and acute tension played havoc with the Town's
form.
This tension and over anxiety, plus the paramount
importance of the occasion brought a lot of disorganisation and wayward
passing in its wake, and kept Swindon struggling raggedly for the
greater part of the time against a Shrewsbury side which played some
fine football, but which lacked the decisive touch in front of goal.
The touch which might have turned two or three chances into
goals if that "veteran" master-opportunist, player-manager
Arthur Rowley, had not decided to rest himself.
Admitting frankly that Shrewsbury played "us out of
sight for football at times," Mr. Head spoke for us all when he
said: "I was never more relieved in my life than when Roger's goal
went in, particularly after having so many anxious moments before, with
all the lads so tensed up that they could not play their normal
game."
On a muddy, slippery pitch, Shrewsbury were a vastly
improved side compared with their display on their own ground when
Swindon won 3-1 in March, and up to the time of goal the only time that
Swindon had really looked like getting on top against a much more
cohesive and consistent side was during one concentrated spell around
the middle of the first-half when some splendid work by goalkeeper
Miller rescued the visitors.
Fine achievement
But all came right in the end and now all that needs to be
done is to relax and to record 9:10pm on Tuesday, May 14th as the
greatest moment in the history of one of the founder members of Division
3.
And after that, to add to the congratulations they have
received already, the pride which everyone must feel at their
magnificent achievement with a home-produced team.
Shrewsbury, with nothing much to lose or gain, apart from
bonus, played much more relaxed, smoother football than the Town. They
settled down quickly into a constructive style of play in midfield, but
they missed a chance of going into an early lead when their youth
international outside-left, French, who otherwise did a lot of dangerous
work, shot wide of the far post with the Town's defence pulled right out
of position towards the opposite flank.
Middleton, Shrewsbury's inside right, tried his luck with
three or four shots, but towards the middle of the half Swindon reacted
more strongly to give Miller much more to worry about than Turner, in
Swindon's goal, had before the interval.
The Shrewsbury goalkeeper did wonderful work after he had
been put in desperate trouble following a sliced clearance kick by a
defender. He raced forward to turn the ball away from Hunt as he rushed
in, and then threw himself to his left to push the loose ball away from
the feet of Summerbee as the right winger tore in at full steam.
Great save
Miller also distinguished himself when he made a great
mid-air diving save to keep out a flying header from Smart following a
corner-kick from Summerbee.
Despite the fact that their passing so often was erratic,
and that they rarely showed any signs of getting together anywhere near
so well as we know they can, Swindon created the most dangerous
situations of the first-half during this spell - their most threatening
of the match until Smart's late success.
Turner's worst moment in the first half came when he had to
throw himself at the feet of Middleton, as the inside right bored in
dangerously.
Hunt hit the ball into Shrewsbury's net shortly before
half-time, but was given offside.
Swindon straggled and struggled most in the early stages of
the second half when they were completely at sixes and sevens, but a
fantastic goalmouth interception by right back Dawson prevented them
from falling behind after Gregson had broken through cleverly on
Shrewsbury's right wing.
Turner stuck out a foot to intercept the winger's close
range drive - as he did later with a shot from Harley - but the ball
rebounded to centre forward Clarke who lobbed it straight back for the
open goal.
It didn't look as if anything or anybody could stop it
entering the net, but somehow, Dawson managed to get back and head it
out as he rushed back to goal for one of the most valuable and amazing
interceptions of the season. How he did it, I shall never know.
Swindon appeared to have grounds for their appeal when they
claimed a penalty for hands against Pountney, Shrewsbury's brilliant
left half, but the referee, Mr. K. Stokes, of Newark, thought otherwise
and allowed play to continue.
The opportunist
Smart's goal, giving him three from two games since he was
recalled for the successful trip to Colchester last week - came more
from opportunism than anything else.
Stevens rushed through to prevent Miller from getting a grip on
the ball near the left hand side of the penalty area, and it ran loose
to Smart out on the left wing.
Smart hit it across towards goal as Miller chased back, but
although the goalkeeper got his hands to the ball he could not keep it
out.
Another defender was in the goalmouth but the ball eluded
him, too, as 20,000-odd supporters roared their delight - and their
relief at seeing the fulfillment of their desires after long years of
waiting. Teams:
Swindon Town: Turner;
Dawson, Trollope; Morgan, McPherson, Woodruff; Summerbee, Hunt, Stevens,
Smart, Jackson.
Shrewsbury Town: Miller; Walters, Skeech; Harley,
Dolby, Pountney; Gregson, Middleton, Clarke, Nixon, French.
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