Swindon saved

The new year could have been rung in by the sound of the gates slamming shut for good at the County Ground.

Recent testing times in the boardroom of Swindon Town FC led many fans believing the club was nearing extinction. In 2007, the extent of debt owed to the Inland Revenue became more frighteningly apparent, reportedly amassing to £18 million. The club was on the brink of being pronounced dead; its obituary virtually written. "S.T.F.C R.I.P." was declared on many supporters’ placards.

Remarkably, the club has been reincarnated with fresh optimism thanks to Andrew Fitton’s consortium, whose wealth has a combined value of over a billion pounds.

Just before Christmas, on Thursday 20th December, I was glancing at the Swindon Advertiser website with a tear in my eye. It was reported that the IR was about to enact winding up orders. Scrolling down to the readers’ comments, I noticed that a protest gathering had been organised for 7pm outside the Arkells Stand.

It was at this point I realised it was make or break, and that I had an obligation to attend. So I drove down to the stadium car park, and gathered amongst the small crowd of 25-30 people in the freezing cold. Bearing in mind that this was organised at the last minute on the internet I was quite impressed with the turn out. Fans were patient considering the circumstances, that after months of delays a signature still had not been placed on the dotted line to buy the club.

In what I still think of as a miracle, just before 8pm a spokesman for S.T.F.C came down and announced that the deal had finally been done after so many agonising months. Crowds cheered, cars honked and it was a fantastic moment; just days before Christmas the future of Swindon Town Football Club had been secured.

I was also ecstatic to shake hands with millionaire James Wills shortly after the deal was done, when he stepped out to introduce himself to fans. He gave us photocopies of the press release, which read:

"Swindon Football holdings limited announces that at 7pm on Thursday 20th December 2007, it entered into a conditional agreement to purchase 75% of the issued share capital of Swindon Town Football Company Limited.

"The agreement is conditional on the vendors satisfying the purchasers on certain conditions (including matters relating to Shaw Park Develoments and HR Revenue & Customs) not later than 11th January, 2008.

"The purchasers will have an active involvement in the management of the Club with immediate effect."

Commenting, Fitton said: "I am pleased that we are nearly there. The hard work of reorganising the club will start immediately."

As part of the reorganisation plans, Fitton wants to establish Swindon as a Championship club within three years.

He has said: "Our plan for this club is that we think it has a place in the Championship.

"If in three years time we are in the Championship I will have succeeded, if not I will have failed."

He added: "I don't think it is ever wise to say we'll be in the Premier League in five years time. Those are absurd ideas.

"Where this club should rightly be is a well established Championship club and once we get to that stage maybe other things can happen.

"Our objective now is to make this into one of the best run and managed clubs in the country."

So, a dark era in Swindon Town FC’s history has now passed and can finally move forward with fresh new owners, rebuilding it so that it can climb back up the ranks to where it used to, and so rightly belongs. New Year, New Swindon. Come on you Reds!!!

NEIL ROBINSON