Welcome to the latest chapter of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we travelled back to Swindon for another pre season friendly, this time between League One side Cheltenham Town and Southern League Premier Division side Swindon Supermarine. The Webbswood Stadium was our host for the game.
It's All In The Name
Swindon Supermarine are the result of a merger between Swindon Athletic and Supermarine FC. The Supermarine aviation firm rose to prominence during WWII for its role in the development of the Reginald 'Mitch' Mitchell-designed Supermarine Spitfire.
The football club was founded in 1946 as the Supermarine Works Social Club, first as Vickers Armstrong and later as Vickers.
Some Notable Former Players
Stuart Fleetwood
Frankie Artus
Chris Stokes
Chris Zebroski
Kayden Jackson
Paul Bodin
Some Notable People From Swindon:
Mark Lamarr- Comedian
Nicholas Bishop- Actor
Rachel Shelley- Actress
Hannah Smiley- Swimmer
Diana Dors- Actress
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
The current club was formed in 1992 by the merger of two existing Hellenic League clubs, Swindon Athletic and Supermarine. Both clubs' fortunes were not looking good at the time of the merger. Supermarine finished bottom of Division One in the 1991/92 season, while Swindon Athletic struggled to improve their facilities at their Swindon Borough Council-owned Southbrook Recreation ground. To comply with the then-new league rules, both clubs agreed that a merger would be the best way to achieve their goals, and the new club, Swindon Supermarine, took the place of Swindon Athletic in the Hellenic Premier Division.
Swindon Athletic was once known as Penhill until the 1989/90 season. They were created in 1968 and previously played in the Wiltshire County League, where they won the Wiltshire Junior Cup in 1976/77 and the Wiltshire Senior Division Two title the following year. The club achieved unprecedented success in the 1980s. Between 1982 and 1989, they won the Wiltshire Senior Cup three times and finished runners-up twice. They were also promoted to the Wiltshire Senior Division One League, where they won the title in consecutive seasons in 1982/83 and 1983/84. They were promoted to the Hellenic League in 1985 and achieved promotion to the Premier Division on their first try, becoming runners-up to Viking Sports.
The Supermarine aviation firm rose to prominence during WWII for its role in the development of the Reginald 'Mitch' Mitchell-designed Supermarine Spitfire.
The football club was founded in 1946 as the Supermarine Works Social Club, first as Vickers Armstrong and later as Vickers. Before joining the Hellenic League in the early 1980s, the club advanced through the Swindon & District and Wiltshire Leagues. The club achieved instant success in the Hellenic Division One League, winning promotion as runners-up to Rayners Lane on goal difference in the 1982/83 season. They also won the Wiltshire Senior Cup in 1985/86, defeating Penhill 1-0, the club they would eventually merge with seven years later. During the 1980s, Supermarine won the Dr Elliott Cup no fewer than five times.
Swindon Supermarine finished in the top eight of the Hellenic Premier Division after the merger. We were also Wiltshire Senior Cup finalists in 1993/94 and Hellenic Premier Division Cup runners-up against Cinderford Town in 1994/95. Also, under managers Alan Dyton and Leo Colucci, we won the Wiltshire Premier Shield for the first time in 1994/95, reaching the final only to lose to Trowbridge Town. With another Hellenic cup final defeat to Bicester Town in the Floodlight Cup in the 1995/96 season, it appeared they would never get over the hump.
That all changed in the 1996/97 season, when the club won their first trophy since the club's formation, defeating Devizes Town in the Wiltshire Premier Shield final. With the Reserves winning the Reserve Division One Championship and the Reserve Division Challenge Cup, the club's remarkable season came to an end when they won the Hellenic Premier Division Challenge Cup against Kintbury Rangers.
In the 1997/98 season, the team led the Hellenic Premier Division from September to May, with just Endsleigh pushing us for the League Championship. Supermarine needed to win their final two games to secure our first Hellenic Premier Division title. This was accomplished with two strong home victories, 8-0 and 6-0 on consecutive days against Bicester Town and Fairford Town, and the team was subsequently proclaimed Premier Division Champions for 1997/98.
In the following season, 1998/99, there was no repeat of the previous season's success. An early setback occurred with the departure of the successful managerial tandem of John Fisher and Don Rogers during the pre-season. The 1998/99 season began with a new management team led by former reserve team managers Dave Hawkins and Kevin Moloney. The squad finished the season with only two league wins in the final nineteen games, finishing in fifteenth place. The only highlight of that season was the club's involvement in the Wiltshire Premier Shield final at the County Ground, where they fell 2-1 to a strong Salisbury City team.
The following season, 1999/2000, was a complete 180-degree turn around, with a fantastic year both on and off the pitch. The club erected a new clubhouse at Hunts Copse in November 1999, and on the pitch, Swindon Supermarine were very successful, winning two cups and finishing third in the league. Only a lapse in form in mid-March prevented the team from finishing as runners-up. In the final, the squad defeated league champions Banbury United 2-0 on aggregate to win the Norman Matthews Floodlight Cup. To win the Cherry Red Records Challenge Cup, they defeated Ross Town 2-1 after extra time at Didcot Town.
They returned to the promotion play-offs in 2006-07, where they were triumphant after defeating Burnham in the semi-finals and Taunton Town in the final. As a result, they were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division. The club also won the Wiltshire Premier Shield that season, a decade after their first victory in the league.
In their first season in the Southern League Premier Division, they finished 12th.They finished mid-table the next season and had a remarkable run in the FA Trophy, reaching the Third Round (final sixteen) before losing to holders Ebbsfleet United.
In the club's finest ever FA Cup run, they just missed out on a lucrative FA Cup Third Round encounter in 2010-11 after a 1-0 defeat at League One side Colchester United. Season 2011-12 began with Horgan and Robinson as permanent managers, but the season did not go as planned, with relegation to Division One South & West confirmed on the final day of the season. Marine triumphed 4-3 on penalties in another close encounter that ended 0-0 after extra time, regaining promotion to step 3 and the Southern League Premier South Division.
Honours
🏆 Hellenic Football League Premier Division (Winners: 1997–98, 2000–01)
🏆 Southern Football League West Division (Play-off Winners: 2017–18)
🏆 Wiltshire Premier Shield (Winners: 1996–97, 2006–07, 2018–19, 2021–22) (Runners Up: 1994–95, 1998–99, 2002–03)
🏆 Wiltshire Senior Cup (Winners: 2016–17) (Runners Up: 1993–94)
🏆 Hellenic Football League Challenge Cup (Winners: 1996–97, 1999–00) (Runners up: 1994–95, 2000–01)
🏆 Hellenic Football League Floodlit Cup: (Winners: 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01) (Runners up: 1995–96)
An Interview With Swindon Supermarine member of staff, John Morgan:
GG: Could you tell us something interesting about Swindon Supermarine football club?
JM: Swindon Supermarine was built on the site of an old Swindon spitfire base.
GG: How long have you worked for Swindon Supermarine?
JM: For the past year, I have handled the club's publicity and Instagram.
GG: What are your opinions on working at a football club in non league? In your opinion how is it different to a club in higher leagues?
JM: Working at a non-league club allows you to get to know all of the players. It's fantastic to be a part of it because you get along with everyone.
GG: What does the club mean to the community?
JM: Everything
GG: What are the clubs aims in the near future?
JM: The club's ultimate goal is to reach the Football League.
GG: Finally, why should people come to see Swindon Supermarine Football Club?
JM: You're close to the pitch, and you get along with everyone, so it feels like a family.
Matchday: Swindon Supermarine 0-6 Cheltenham Town
We travelled to Swindon on a wet Tuesday evening looking forward to another pre season friendly that was sure to offer lots of goals and a lot of entertainment. Parking is not an issue at the ground, with 300 (questionable) spaces available for free.
The build up towards the match was a contentious issue with some people, including myself. Swindon Supermarine advertised in June that they had a number of pre season friendlies planned for the summer. However, it appeared that the only focus of their attention was towards their game with Swindon Town. They offered a lack of information regarding their fixture with Cheltenham Town, despite questions from supporters regarding pricing, parking and food. There was no information provided until the day before. It takes little time to announce that the pricing that they advertised for the Swindon Town game was the same for the Cheltenham game. This let them down slightly.
Arriving at the stadium, the staff were very friendly however- one even mistaking me for a Cheltenham player (I'm as shocked as all of you). Pricing was a bit hit and miss. I am a firm believer that non league clubs should not charge more than £5 for a friendly, mainly because of the lack of atmosphere, the game is leas competitive and for the majority, the teams are made up of trialists. I appreciate that teams see it as a money making opportunity, however, is it better to get people in for a fiver and have them buy drinks, food or merchandise, or is it better to get less people and have people put off by the price? The pricing for this game was £12 for an adult (although we managed to get the family ticket for £25).
There was food at the ground with a variety of pies, sausage rolls, and hot dogs available. The pricing was reasonable for this food which is refreshing to see at a football match. £3.50 for a jumbo hotdog is okay to be honest, although the hot dog was not great quality, it was not bad either, and you certainly get what you pay for.
The stadium is your standard non league ground. It was it good condition, with a few stands available for people to take shelter in. The clubhouse was really nice and made fans feel welcome. There was one funny encounter where we walked into the wrong clubhouse and ended up in the corporate lounge with the Cheltenham chairman, which caused one of the Cheltenham members of staff to freak out. They probably didn't want the riffraff in there with them.
Teamsheet
Swindon Supermarine
Manager: Lee Spalding
Mac Boyd
Sam Turl
Ryan Campbell
Jamie Edge
Matt Liddiard (c)
Luke Cooper
Henry Spalding
George Dowling
Trialist A
Joe Tumelty
Zac Kotwica
Substitutes
Levi Irving
Trialist B
Trialist C
Trialist D
Leon Morrison
Trialist E
Cheltenham Town
Manager: Wade Elliott
Max Harris
Lewis Freestone
Liam Smith
Rob Street
Aidan Keena
Will Ferry ⚽️
Dan Adshead
Freddie Wilcox ⚽️ ⚽️
Elliot Bonds
Grant Horton ⚽️
Curtis Davies (c)
Substitutes
Sean Long
Ben Williams
Tom Bradbury
Cameron Walters
Liam Sercombe
Ellis Chapman
Tom King ⚽️
James Olayinka ⚽️
George Lloyd
Jamie Pardington
Bradley Burgess
Alfie Taylor
Adulai Sambu
Ibrahim Olateju
Cheltenham dominated the encounter from tip to end, looking to build on their strong pre-season start. They took the lead on the 15th minute after some good work down the right by Dan Adshead and Rob Street saw the ball played to Freddie Willcox, who fired home from the edge of the box.
The Robins added a second eight minutes later when a cross from the right was bundled home from close range by Will Ferry. A minute later, Willcox scored his second and the Robins' third as Ferry sprinted down the left wing before pulling it back to the youngster to slot home.
Grant Horton beat his man with ease before curling a left-footed strike straight into the top corner, leaving Swindon Supermarine goalie Mac Boyd with no chance five minutes before the break.
The lively Tom King headed home a George Lloyd cross moments later, just seconds after the academy scholar had an effort saved off the line.
And it was midfielder James Olayinka who scored the last goal on 67 minutes, as the ball came out to him before he blasted a precise drive from 25 yards straight into the right bottom corner. That made it 6-0, and that was how the game ended.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 4/10
Food and Drink: 6/10
Stadium: 5/10
Welcome: 6.5/10
Overall Experience: 6/10
GG
A full album is available at the Gloucester Groundhopper Facebook Page, available here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078510199252
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