For Jessica Durston – 25 January 2023
Sport
A column by Swindon Link STFC correspondent Alfie Howlett
It may be a new year, but the factors that make STFC the club that it is remain.
Having been on the job for just six months, Scott Lindsey found himself trapped by struggling League 2 Crawley Town. This gave the Swindon faithful an all-too-familiar feeling of déjà vu.
It also reflected Swindon Town’s incredible drop. In 1993 they lost manager Glenn Hoddle to Chelsea. 30 years later, in 2023, they would lose their manager to Crawley.
The emotions that greeted Lindsey’s departure are unlike anything I’ve seen before. Typically, when a team is deprived of the services of its coach, it is in for a great deal of grief from the fan base. Normally this is due to the fact that the manager would have made a great impression at the club.
However, Lindsey made few impressions in her short tenure on SN1. Despite leaving Town in the play-offs, his departure was greeted with relief. But why was this the case?
For starters, Lindsey’s playing style was hard to watch. Football lacked attack intention and fluid passes. This made many fans feel ripped off after spending the pennies on a ticket. It was also widely noted that Lindsey’s in-game management could be questionable.
These factors caused supporters to quickly lose faith in his ability to lead the club towards promotion. Therefore, his unexpected departure allows the team to find a coach more suitable for the task at hand.
As of this writing, Swindon are still searching for their 27th manager since 2000. But one thing is for sure, whoever fills the vacancy will get the chance to work with royalty. That’s right, after nearly 12 years away from The County Ground, legendary forward Charlie Austin has returned.
The now 33-year-old has signed a six-month contract after leaving the sunny climes of Australia. In his first spell in a Town shirt, Austin achieved prolific figures, nearly launching Swindon into the Championship. Despite being on the decline, Austin is expected to be able to turn back the years and send the Robins to promotion.
On his return home, Austin picked up where he left off to open the scoring with a signature header. What better way to celebrate the return of the King than with a coronation in May?
Based on the last month and general life at STFC, we can safely predict that the next 11 months will not be boring. Supporting Swindon is an emotional roller coaster, but one that I’m sure very few would want to get off. Here’s hoping the new guy driving that roller coaster knows what he’s doing!
Source: news.google.com