# 1993–94 Swindon Town F.C. season

During the 1993–94 English football season, Swindon Town F.C. competed in the FA Premier League. It was Town's first (and, to date, only) season in the top flight of English football.

## Season summary

Three years after winning promotion, and then being denied top-flight football for financial irregularities, the Robins finally reached the elite after 73 years of trying thanks to a pulsating 4–3 win over Leicester City in the Division One playoff final.
Soon after securing promotion, player-manager Glenn Hoddle left to take charge of Chelsea. His assistant John Gorman was expected to follow Hoddle to Stamford Bridge, but instead accepted Swindon's offer to become manager. He signed Norwegian striker Jan Aage Fjortoft from Rapid Vienna as well as another striker, Andy Mutch, from Wolves.
Swindon did not record a league win until their 17th game, winning just five games and becoming the first top division team in 30 years to concede 100 league goals, with only four clean sheets all season. They would have fared worse still had it not been for the strong form during the second half of the season of Jan Åge Fjørtoft, who was on target 12 times in the league, with all of his goals coming after the turn of the new year.
Swindon's first ever top-flight victory came on 24 November 1993 when a Keith Scott goal gave them a 1–0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers. Their 20th game of the season was a memorable one. They travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool, and managed to hold the home side to a 2–2 draw just over three months after they had crushed Swindon 5–0 at the County Ground. Midfielder John Moncur had put Swindon 1–0 up on the hour, and although Liverpool equalised after 71 minutes, Swindon restored their lead three minutes later with a goal from Keith Scott. They were still ahead with five minutes remaining, before an 86th-minute equaliser from Liverpool's Mark Wright denied Swindon a famous victory. Swindon won their next game 2–1 at home to Southampton. They held Sheffield Wednesday to a thrilling 3–3 draw at Hillsborough on 29 December with two goals from striker Craig Maskell. However, after the turn of the new year, Swindon found themselves on the receiving end of some more heavy defeats. On 15 January, they lost 6–2 to Everton at Goodison Park, though they did manage a narrow victory over Tottenham Hotspur in their next game, and within a month had fallen to a 5–0 defeat at Aston Villa. They were then crushed 7–1 at Newcastle on 12 March. A 2–2 home draw with Manchester United on 19 March sparked fresh hope that Swindon might just about climb to safety, but they collected just two points from their final eight games and were firmly rooted in bottom place. They had won just five league games all season and conceded 100 goals. Although a string of teams have since recorded fewer wins and points in the Premier League, only Sheffield United have matched Swindon's record for conceding the most goals. Furthermore, taking factors such as win percentage, goal difference, average attendance and more into consideration, Swindon are the worst team the Premier League has ever seen.
John Gorman spoke of his hope that Swindon would soon return to the Premiership, John Gorman was sacked as Swindon Town manager early in the 1994/95 season to be succeeded by Steve McMahon, Swindon Town would be relegated to Division 2 at the end of the 1994/95 season

## Transfers
### Transferred in

| Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee |
| 20 July 1993 | DM | Luc Nijholt | Motherwell | £175,000 |
| 29 July 1993 | CF | Jan Åge Fjørtoft | Rapid Vienna | £500,000 |
| 30 July 1993 | CB | Adrian Whitbread | Leyton Orient | £500,000 |
| 20 August 1993 | CF | Andy Mutch | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £250,000 |
| 6 September 1993 | CB | Terry Fenwick | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer |
| 17 September 1993 | LM | Ty Gooden | Wycombe Wanderers | Free transfer |
| 18 November 1993 | CF | Keith Scott | Wycombe Wanderers | £300,000 |
| 20 January 1994 | CB | Brian Kilcline | Newcastle United | £90,000 |
| 17 March 1994 | CM | Lawrie Sanchez | Wimbledon | Free transfer |
| | | | | £1,815,000 |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End |
| 4 January 1994 | GK | Stewart Kerr | Celtic | 10 February 1994 |
| 28 January 1994 | GK | Jon Sheffield | Cambridge United | 20 February 1994 |
| 16 February 1994 | CF | Frank McAvennie | Celtic | 16 May 1994 |
| 24 March 1994 | GK | Paul Heald | Leyton Orient | 24 May 1994 |

### Transferred out

| Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee |
| 1 June 1993 | CF | Paul Hunt | Gloucester City | Free transfer |
| 1 June 1993 | RM | Brian Marwood | Barnet | Free transfer |
| 15 July 1993 | CM | Glenn Hoddle | Chelsea | Free transfer |
| 19 July 1993 | CB | Colin Calderwood | Tottenham Hotspur | £1,250,000 |
| 27 July 1993 | CF | Dave Mitchell | Altay | £20,000 |
| 3 November 1993 | CM | Micky Hazard | Tottenham Hotspur | £50,000 |
| 7 February 1994 | CF | Craig Maskell | Southampton | £250,000 |
| | | | | £1,570,000 |

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End |

### Overall transfer activity
## Squad

| # | Pos | Name | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | Apps | Gls |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||
| 1 | GK | Fraser Digby | Sheffield | (1967-04-23)23 April 1967 (aged 26) | Manchester United | 23 December 1986 | £32,000 | 319 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | Nick Hammond | Hornchurch | (1967-09-07)7 September 1967 (aged 25) | Arsenal | 1 June 1987 | Free transfer | 65 | 0 |
| 29 | GK | Shane Cook | Bristol | (1975-11-02)2 November 1975 (aged 17) | Academy | 1 January 1994 | — | - | - |
| 30 | GK | Stewart Kerr | Bellshill | (1974-11-13)13 November 1974 (aged 18) | Celtic | 4 January 1994 | Loan | - | - |
| 34 | GK | Paul Heald | Wath-on-Dearne | (1968-09-20)20 September 1968 (aged 24) | Leyton Orient | 24 March 1994 | Loan | - | - |
| 40 | GK | Jon Sheffield | Coventry | (1969-02-01)1 February 1969 (aged 24) | Cambridge United | 28 January 1994 | Loan | - | - |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | RB | Nicky Summerbee | Altrincham | (1971-08-26)26 August 1971 (aged 21) | Academy | 1 July 1989 | — | 91 | 5 |
| 3 | LB | Paul Bodin | Cardiff | (1964-09-13)13 September 1964 (aged 28) | Crystal Palace | 10 January 1992 | £225,000 | 184 | 24 |
| 6 | CB | Shaun Taylor (c) | Plymouth | (1963-02-26)26 February 1963 (aged 30) | Exeter City | 26 July 1991 | £200,000 | 107 | 18 |
| 14 | CB | Adrian Whitbread | Epping | (1971-10-22)22 October 1971 (aged 21) | Leyton Orient | 30 July 1993 | £500,000 | - | - |
| 15 | CB | Adi Viveash | Swindon | (1969-09-30)30 September 1969 (aged 23) | Academy | 1 July 1988 | — | 49 | 1 |
| 18 | RB | Eddie Murray | Bristol | (1973-08-31)31 August 1973 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 1992 | — | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | CB | Andy Thomson | Swindon | (1974-03-28)28 March 1974 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 1993 | — | - | - |
| 24 | LB | Lee Middleton | Nuneaton | (1970-09-11)11 September 1970 (aged 22) | Coventry City | 20 July 1992 | Free transfer | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | CB | Terry Fenwick | Seaham | (1959-11-17)17 November 1959 (aged 33) | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 September 1993 | Free transfer | - | - |
| 31 | CB | Brian Kilcline | Nottingham | (1962-05-07)7 May 1962 (aged 31) | Newcastle United | 20 January 1994 | £90,000 | - | - |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 4 | CM | Micky Hazard | Sunderland | (1960-02-05)5 February 1960 (aged 33) | Portsmouth | 28 September 1990 | £130,000 | 132 | 18 |
| 5 | DM | Luc Nijholt | Zaandam | (1961-07-29)29 July 1961 (aged 31) | Motherwell | 20 July 1993 | £175,000 | - | - |
| 7 | RM | John Moncur | Stepney | (1966-09-22)22 September 1966 (aged 26) | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 March 1992 | £80,000 | 22 | 2 |
| 8 | DM | Ross MacLaren | Edinburgh | (1962-04-14)14 April 1962 (aged 31) | Derby County | 4 August 1988 | £150,000 | 227 | 12 |
| 10 | LM | Martin Ling | West Ham | (1966-07-15)15 July 1966 (aged 26) | Southend United | 15 July 1991 | £15,000 | 82 | 7 |
| 16 | CM | Kevin Horlock | Erith | (1972-11-01)1 November 1972 (aged 20) | West Ham United | 14 August 1992 | Free transfer | 17 | 1 |
| 20 | CM | Wayne O'Sullivan | Akrotiri | (1971-05-12)12 May 1971 (aged 22) | Academy | 1 July 1991 | — | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | CM | Marcus Phillips | Trowbridge | (1973-10-17)17 October 1973 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 1992 | — | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | AM | Austin Berkley | Dartford | (1973-01-28)28 January 1973 (aged 20) | Gillingham | 16 May 1992 | Free transfer | 1 | 1 |
| 28 | LM | Ty Gooden | Canvey Island | (1972-10-23)23 October 1972 (aged 20) | Wycombe Wanderers | 17 September 1993 | Free transfer | - | - |
| 33 | CM | Lawrie Sanchez | Lambeth | (1959-10-22)22 October 1959 (aged 33) | Wimbledon | 17 March 1994 | Free transfer | - | - |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 9 | CF | Jan Åge Fjørtoft | Gursken | (1967-01-10)10 January 1967 (aged 26) | Rapid Vienna | 29 July 1993 | £500,000 | - | - |
| 11 | CF | Craig Maskell | Aldershot | (1968-04-10)10 April 1968 (aged 25) | Reading | 3 July 1992 | £100,000 | 41 | 23 |
| 12 | CF | Steve White | Chipping Sodbury | (1959-01-02)2 January 1959 (aged 34) | Bristol Rovers | 8 July 1986 | Free transfer | 303 | 111 |
| 17 | CF | Chris Hamon | Jersey | (1970-04-27)27 April 1970 (aged 23) | St. Peter | 1 July 1992 | Free transfer | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | CF | Andy Mutch | Liverpool | (1971-11-03)3 November 1971 (aged 21) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 August 1993 | £250,000 | - | - |
| 27 | CF | Keith Scott | Westminster | (1967-06-09)9 June 1967 (aged 26) | Wycombe Wanderers | 18 November 1993 | £300,000 | - | - |
| 32 | CF | Frank McAvennie | Glasgow | (1959-11-22)22 November 1959 (aged 33) | Celtic | 16 February 1994 | Loan | - | - |
Note: Stats and ages are correct as of July 1, 1993.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 18 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 49 | 66 | −17 | 43 | |
| 19 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 35 | 58 | −23 | 43 | |
| 20 | Sheffield United (R) | 42 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 42 | Relegation to Football League First Division |
| 21 | Oldham Athletic (R) | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 42 | 68 | −26 | 40 | Relegation to Football League First Division |
| 22 | Swindon Town (R) | 42 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 47 | 100 | −53 | 30 | Relegation to Football League First Division |

## Results

Swindon Town's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 14 August 1993 | Sheffield United | A | 1–3 | 20,904 | Moncur |
| 18 August 1993 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 11,940 | |
| 22 August 1993 | Liverpool | H | 0–5 | 17,364 | |
| 25 August 1993 | Southampton | A | 1–5 | 12,505 | Maskell (pen) |
| 28 August 1993 | Norwich City | A | 0–0 | 17,614 | |
| 1 September 1993 | Manchester City | H | 1–3 | 16,067 | Summerbee |
| 11 September 1993 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 15,777 | |
| 18 September 1993 | Newcastle United | H | 2–2 | 15,393 | Ling, Mutch |
| 25 September 1993 | Manchester United | A | 2–4 | 44,583 | Mutch, Bodin (pen) |
| 2 October 1993 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–3 | 15,847 | Taylor |
| 16 October 1993 | Everton | H | 1–1 | 14,437 | Taylor |
| 23 October 1993 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 31,394 | Bodin (pen) |
| 30 October 1993 | Aston Villa | H | 1–2 | 16,322 | Bodin (pen) |
| 6 November 1993 | Wimbledon | A | 0–3 | 7,758 | |
| 20 November 1993 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–2 | 13,860 | Scott, Bodin (pen) |
| 24 November 1993 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–0 | 14,674 | Scott |
| 27 November 1993 | Leeds United | A | 0–3 | 32,630 | |
| 4 December 1993 | Sheffield United | H | 0–0 | 12,882 | |
| 7 December 1993 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–2 | 19,498 | Mutch |
| 11 December 1993 | Liverpool | A | 2–2 | 32,739 | Moncur, Scott |
| 18 December 1993 | Southampton | H | 2–1 | 13,565 | Bodin, Scott |
| 27 December 1993 | Arsenal | H | 0–4 | 17,214 | |
| 29 December 1993 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–3 | 30,570 | Mutch, Maskell (2) |
| 1 January 1994 | Chelsea | H | 1–3 | 16,261 | Mutch |
| 3 January 1994 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 15,869 | Mutch |
| 15 January 1994 | Everton | A | 2–6 | 20,760 | Moncur, Bodin |
| 22 January 1994 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 16,464 | Fjørtoft, Whitbread |
| 5 February 1994 | Coventry City | H | 3–1 | 14,635 | Fjørtoft (3, 2 pens) |
| 12 February 1994 | Aston Villa | A | 0–5 | 27,637 | |
| 19 February 1994 | Norwich City | H | 3–3 | 15,405 | Taylor, Fjørtoft (2) |
| 25 February 1994 | Manchester City | A | 1–2 | 26,360 | Fjørtoft |
| 5 March 1994 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 | 15,929 | Fjørtoft |
| 12 March 1994 | Newcastle United | A | 1–7 | 32,219 | Moncur |
| 19 March 1994 | Manchester United | H | 2–2 | 18,102 | Nijholt, Fjørtoft |
| 26 March 1994 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–3 | 20,046 | Fjørtoft |
| 2 April 1994 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 31,635 | Bodin (pen) |
| 4 April 1994 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–1 | 13,927 | |
| 16 April 1994 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 14,760 | Fjørtoft |
| 23 April 1994 | Wimbledon | H | 2–4 | 13,309 | Summerbee, Barton (own goal) |
| 27 April 1994 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 11,180 | |
| 30 April 1994 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–1 | 9,875 | Taylor, Fjørtoft, Summerbee |
| 7 May 1994 | Leeds United | H | 0–5 | 17,228 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 8 January 1994 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 12,105 | Mutch |
| R3R | 18 January 1994 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | 12,796 | Fjørtoft |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st leg | 22 September 1993 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 8,649 | Summerbee, Mutch |
| R2 2nd leg | 5 October 1993 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–2 (won 3–2 on agg) | 11,756 | Summerbee |
| R3 | 26 October 1993 | Portsmouth | A | 0–2 | 12,554 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Fraser Digby |
| 2 | MF | ENG | Nicky Summerbee |
| 3 | DF | WAL | Paul Bodin |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Micky Hazard |
| 5 | MF | NED | Luc Nijholt |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Shaun Taylor |
| 7 | MF | ENG | John Moncur |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Ross MacLaren |
| 9 | FW | NOR | Jan Åge Fjørtoft |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Martin Ling |
| 11 | FW | ENG | Craig Maskell |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Steve White |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Adrian Whitbread |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Adi Viveash |
| 16 | MF | NIR | Kevin Horlock |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Chris Hamon |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Eddie Murray |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Andy Thomson |
| 20 | DF | IRL | Wayne O'Sullivan |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Marcus Phillips |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Austin Berkley |
| 23 | GK | ENG | Nick Hammond |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Lee Middleton |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Andy Mutch |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Terry Fenwick |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Keith Scott |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Ty Gooden |
| 29 | GK | ENG | Shane Cook |
| 30 | GK | SCO | Stewart Kerr (on loan from Celtic) |
| 31 | DF | ENG | Brian Kilcline |
| 32 | FW | SCO | Frank McAvennie (on loan from Celtic) |
| 33 | MF | NIR | Lawrie Sanchez |
| 34 | GK | ENG | Paul Heald (on loan from Leyton Orient) |
| 40 | GK | ENG | Jon Sheffield (on loan from Cambridge United) |

## Starting 11

    Only considering Premier League starts
* GK: #1, Fraser Digby, 28
* RB: #2, Nicky Summerbee, 36
* CB: #6, Shaun Taylor, 42
* CB: #14, Adrian Whitbread, 34
* LB: #3, Paul Bodin, 28
* RM: #7, John Moncur, 41
* CM: #5, Luc Nijholt, 31
* CM: #16, Kevin Horlock, 32
* LM: #10, Martin Ling, 29
* CF: #9, Jan Åge Fjørtoft, 36
* CF: #25, Andy Mutch, 27