CITY 1 SWINDON TOWN 2
League Division 2
16th January 1965
attendance 8,015
Scorers
City Oakes(65)
Swindon Brown(20), Summerbee(63)
Ref J Carr
City Dowd, Bacuzzi, Sear, Kennedy, Gratrix, Oakes, Pardoe, Murray, Kevan, Ogden, Connor
Swindon Hicks, Dawson, Trollope, Morgan, McPherson, Atherton, Shergold, Hunt, Summerbee, Brown, Rogers
Remember going to the game(City 1 -Swindon 2 Jan 65) with my dad I was 11 years old we stood in the scoreboard end if I remember correctly it rained for the whole game hence the lowest attendance in the clubs history just over 8,000 I think there is about 30,000 city fans who claim they were there that night very interesting, in those days you could transfer into the Kippax for about 1 shilling? we where so wet so we stayed put, again if I remember correctly Mike Summerbee was the best player on the pitch, we signed him soon after, happy days or maybe not ?. Up the blues.
As a 15 year old I remember going for the cheapest entry on the Scoreboard end and then considering hurdling the divide towards the Kippax as the rain hammered down. Unfortunately I seem to recall a policeman stationed at that very point to prevent such access.. Never mind, another great example of my trials and tribulations following the Blues
I was also at that game with my mother who is now 101 years old and she still goes to every home match. I think that was the season Harry Dowd came out of goal after he was injured (there were not substitutes) and scored against Bury in a 1-0 win.
I was sat on the steps in the Kippax that day, you didn’t have to stand up to watch. That is how empty it was. The highlight of the day was Alan Oakes goal, it was a great shot but hardly got a mention as the press homed in on low attendance. It was a miserable dull drizzly day which didn’t help the mood. I also remember the Harry Dowd goal against Bury. He broke his finger and Matt Gray took over in goal. Colin Bell played for Bury that day and I think he scored their goal.
The Bury game where Colin Bell made his debut and scored for Bury when Dowd got City’s goal was about a year earlier in 1964. We used to wait outside for autographs and a friend of mine jumped on Harry’s back in excitement. Harry pushed him off saying get off I’m injured. (Or words to that effect).
From my regular spot on the Kippax I also remember watching Paul Hince get 2 goals on his bebut, again at the scoreboard end. That was against WBA and finished 2-2