Swindon Town: The day The Robins won promotion to the Premier League - 30 years on
- Published
Swindon's Wembley win earned the team their only promotion to the Premier League so far
Thirty years ago Swindon Town enjoyed the greatest day in the club's history, winning promotion to the Premier League.
Their 4-3 win over Leicester City on 31 May 1993, in the First Division play-off final at Wembley Stadium, remains a classic of the genre to this day.
The Robins were cruising at 3-0 up - player-manager Glenn Hoddle scoring the first - until three goals in 12 minutes of madness drew the Foxes level with 20 minutes left.
But with six minutes to go, Swindon were awarded a penalty which Welsh defender Paul Bodin converted to hand the Wiltshire side a momentous victory.
Swindon's time in the top flight was brief, with instant relegation back to the second tier after one disappointing campaign in the fledgling Premier League.
They have yet to reach those same heights again but for Swindon supporters, that sunny day at Wembley remains etched in the memory, as BBC Radio Wiltshire discovered.
'I was trying to celebrate but he was breaking my glasses'
Peter Norris, Swindon Town fan
I wanted to make sure that I had the best possible view. I bought these glasses a few days before the game.
We went 3-0 up and like everybody I thought 'well, we can't blow this, we're going to be in the Premier League'.
When Leicester scored twice in two minutes to level it, there was this guy behind me. He was very vocal through the game and was absolutely completely distraught, saying 'we've blown it, we've blown it'.
Paul Bodin's penalty sealed the win for Swindon in the final 10 minutes of the game
There was 20 minutes left and I just turned around and said to him, 'Leicester are exhausted'. It was a really hot day and suddenly, as soon as it got to 3-3, we looked confident again.
Obviously we scored a few minutes from the end and when the final whistle went, we were jumping up and I turned around to him and he grabbed me and crushed me, giving me a massive bear hug, saying 'you were right'.
All I remember thinking and saying was 'my glasses' - a little bit like from Scooby Doo. I was trying to celebrate but he was breaking my brand new glasses that were just a few days old.
'There was steam coming out of the bonnet'
Anna Tuersley, Swindon Town fan
It never occurred to me to give my car a service before heading down the M4, but it was pretty obvious as we pulled off on Junction 2. There was steam coming out of the bonnet and I thought, 'oh, that must be someone behind me, poor chap'.
We pulled into a little layby and just stood there and let everyone go past and thought 'what are we going to do?'. We weren't really that far away from the stadium and we were able to free-wheel down to a garage and chuck some water in, which disappeared immediately in another hiss of steam.
We parked in a public car park or the side of the road - I honestly can't remember. We were a mile and a half from Wembley and we just walked from there.
The sound was like a beast roaring when the penalty went in. I think that was just the pent-up angst and anguish and frustration after the equaliser all rolled into one.
'We had no idea who scored'
Andy Whitaker, Swindon Town fan
It's probably the greatest day in Swindon Town's history.
This was one of the few occasions when the three generations - myself, my dad and my son - all went to watch Swindon Town. My dad wasn't a well man in his mid to later life so he stopped going, but it was him who introduced me to STFC in 1968-69 and we were all there in '93, so that was a real special occasion.
We wanted to introduce my son to football at an early age so he started coming during the season. We thought it would be something he could tell his family later in life, that he was at Wembley.
Swindon's four goal scorers - Paul Bodin, Craig Maskell, player-manager Glenn Hoddle and Shaun Taylor - celebrate the team's promotion winning victory
His attention span wasn't the greatest but he was doing pretty well. We got to about 40 minutes and Anthony said 'I really need to go to the toilet, Dad'. The old Wembley was an iconic place, but it wasn't blessed with great facilities so I knew it was going to be an absolute melee around the gents as the half-time whistle blew, so we went quickly.
The inevitable happened as soon as we got into the gents. There was a great roar from above. We had no idea who had scored. So we hastened back up to our seats and were relieved and ecstatic in equal measure that Swindon [via player-manager Glenn Hoddle] had scored the first goal.
Of course we'd have taken a Swindon win under any circumstances, but during half-time I thought, 'if this finishes 1-0 now, I can't tell people for the rest of my life that I actually saw the most important moment in Swindon's history'."
'One of the most memorable journeys home'
Stephen Trowbridge, Swindon Town main sponsor
I was there with my brother, sister, mum and dad and was about 13. Lifelong Swindon fan then. It was amazing, the sound at Wembley, the roars, the way we went and won it.
Every bridge on the M4 after the game had a banner on it and had people on there waving with scarves. My dad was tooting the horn as we went through.
The 1993 play-off final was held at the old Wembley Stadium before its renovation
We were so happy, it was such a wonderful afternoon, with the emotions of what happened .
Coming home was probably one of the most memorable journeys out of London that I remember.
'I'd never been to a football match before'
Marie Indge, BBC Radio Wiltshire sport journalist
I wasn't meant to go to the promotion play-off final, but my then-boyfriend of only a few weeks had a spare ticket. I'd never been to a football match before.
When I think back to that warm late spring day, the overriding memories are of the colour and noise: red and white flags along Wembley Way, the delight of the Swindon fans as the team took a 3-0 lead and then the silence as Leicester levelled at 3-3.
I didn't see Paul Bodin's decisive penalty in real time. I buried my face in my boyfriend's shoulder. But the roar from the Town fans was palpable as that ball crossed the line.
The journey home was something fans who travelled will never forget - almost every bridge on the M4 covered in red and white flags, cars tooting all around us and a sense of elation. The boyfriend? Well, he became my husband.