| Club: | Swindon Town |
| Season: | 1993–94 |
| Manager: | John Gorman |
| Chairman: | Ray Hardman |
| Stadium: | County Ground |
| League: | Premier League |
| League Result: | 22nd (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| League Topscorer: | Jan Åge Fjørtoft (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Jan Åge Fjørtoft (13) |
| Highest Attendance: | 18,102 vs. Manchester United (19 Mar 1994, Premier League) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 11,940 vs. Oldham Athletic (18 Aug 1993, Premier League) |
| Average Attendance: | 15,274 |
| Pattern La1: | _swindontown9394h |
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| Pattern La2: | _swindontown9394a |
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| Prevseason: | 1992–93 |
| Nextseason: | 1994–95 |
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.
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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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
| Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July 1993 | £175,000 | ||||
| 29 July 1993 | £500,000 | ||||
| 30 July 1993 | £500,000 | ||||
| 20 August 1993 | £250,000 | ||||
| 6 September 1993 | Free transfer | ||||
| 17 September 1993 | Free transfer | ||||
| 18 November 1993 | £300,000 | ||||
| 20 January 1994 | £90,000 | ||||
| 17 March 1994 | Free transfer | ||||
| £1,815,000 |
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January 1994 | 10 February 1994 | ||||
| 28 January 1994 | 20 February 1994 | ||||
| 16 February 1994 | 16 May 1994 | ||||
| 24 March 1994 | 24 May 1994 | ||||
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 1993 | Free transfer | ||||
| 1 June 1993 | Free transfer | ||||
| 15 July 1993 | Free transfer | ||||
| 19 July 1993 | £1,250,000 | ||||
| 27 July 1993 | £20,000 | ||||
| 3 November 1993 | £50,000 | ||||
| 7 February 1994 | £250,000 | ||||
| £1,570,000 |
£1,815,000
£1,570,000
£245,000
| Pos | Name | Nat | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | Apps | Gls | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | 1993 7, df=yes | 23 December 1986 | £32,000 | 319 | 0 | ||||
| 23 | GK | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 June 1987 | Free transfer | 65 | 0 | ||||
| 29 | GK | Shane Cook | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 January 1994 | - | - | ||||
| 30 | GK | 1993 7, df=yes | 4 January 1994 | Loan | - | - | ||||
| 34 | GK | Wath-on-Dearne | 1993 7, df=yes | 24 March 1994 | Loan | - | - | |||
| 40 | GK | Coventry | 1993 7, df=yes | 28 January 1994 | Loan | - | - | |||
| Defenders | ||||||||||
| 2 | RB | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1989 | 91 | 5 | |||||
| 3 | LB | 1993 7, df=yes | 10 January 1992 | £225,000 | 184 | 24 | ||||
| 6 | CB | Shaun Taylor (c) | 1993 7, df=yes | 26 July 1991 | £200,000 | 107 | 18 | |||
| 14 | CB | 1993 7, df=yes | 30 July 1993 | £500,000 | - | - | ||||
| 15 | CB | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1988 | 49 | 1 | |||||
| 18 | RB | Eddie Murray | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1992 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 19 | CB | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1993 | - | - | |||||
| 24 | LB | Lee Middleton | 1993 7, df=yes | 20 July 1992 | Free transfer | 0 | 0 | |||
| 26 | CB | 1993 7, df=yes | 6 September 1993 | Free transfer | - | - | ||||
| 31 | CB | 1993 7, df=yes | 20 January 1994 | £90,000 | - | - | ||||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||
| 4 | CM | Micky Hazard | 1993 7, df=yes | 28 September 1990 | £130,000 | 132 | 18 | |||
| 5 | DM | 1993 7, df=yes | 20 July 1993 | £175,000 | - | - | ||||
| 7 | RM | 1993 7, df=yes | 30 March 1992 | £80,000 | 22 | 2 | ||||
| 8 | DM | 1993 7, df=yes | 4 August 1988 | £150,000 | 227 | 12 | ||||
| 10 | LM | 1993 7, df=yes | 15 July 1991 | £15,000 | 82 | 7 | ||||
| 16 | CM | 1993 7, df=yes | 14 August 1992 | Free transfer | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 20 | CM |  | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1991 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 21 | CM | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1992 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 22 | AM | 1993 7, df=yes | 16 May 1992 | Free transfer | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 28 | LM | 1993 7, df=yes | 17 September 1993 | Free transfer | - | - | ||||
| 33 | CM | 1993 7, df=yes | 17 March 1994 | Free transfer | - | - | ||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||
| 9 | CF |  | 1993 7, df=yes | 29 July 1993 | £500,000 | - | - | |||
| 11 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 3 July 1992 | £100,000 | 41 | 23 | ||||
| 12 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 8 July 1986 | Free transfer | 303 | 111 | ||||
| 17 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 1 July 1992 | Free transfer | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 25 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 20 August 1993 | £250,000 | - | - | ||||
| 27 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 18 November 1993 | £300,000 | - | - | ||||
| 32 | CF | 1993 7, df=yes | 16 February 1994 | Loan | - | - | ||||
See main article: 1993–94 FA Premier League.
Swindon Town's score comes first[5]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| 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 |
See main article: 1993–94 FA Cup.
| R3 | 8 January 1994 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 12,105 | Mutch | |
| R3R | 18 January 1994 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–2 | 12,796 | Fjørtoft |
See main article: 1993–94 Football League Cup.
| 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 |
http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/1993-1994/faprem/swindon.htm
Only considering Premier League starts
Jan Åge Fjørtoft, 36