Link Swindon Town FC Correspondent Alfie Howlett delivers his verdict
Goodbye and good riddance to 2024, and hello reluctantly to 2025. A year which we’ll not be looking forward to, instead we’ll be looking backwards. It’s a pretty bleak outlook, but it only matches the state of Swindon Town Football Club.
Off the pitch, it feels like we're back to square one. Certainly not for the first time, and probably not for the last time the relationship between fans and owner is at rock bottom.
It’s always upsetting to see, but this time it hurts just that little bit more. When Clem Morfuni first came to Swindon, he brought with him a great sense of optimism and enthusiasm. For one magical season we dared to dream as we reached the playoffs.
From there it’s only fair to say that the ownership has made mistake after mistake. As a result, the fans are rightly angry and frustrated. The sharply declining attendance figures illustrate this fact. Town have gone from getting gates of 10,000-plus to struggling to scrape 6,000, which still is a magnificent effort for this end of League 2. So, what is the answer? That's not my place to say, but what I will say is that change will not come overnight.
Any ownership change, shares acquired, or investment installed will require a lengthy vetting process from the football authorities. To put it simply, Swindon are stuck at the very least for the remainder of the season with what they have. Should there be change over the summer, we again know from recent experience that there is no magic wand. Swindon have a lot of healing to do on that side of affairs.
On the pitch, to their credit I’m seeing signs of progress; Ian Holloway has found a way in recent weeks to simplify the game plan and add more energy. But what I thought would be a good defence have reverted to old habits.
If Swindon are to have a good second half of the season, they really must fix the defence, the discipline, and the set piece defence.
And the fact that I’m saying this leads me to believe that it will remain a case of looking backwards on the pitch rather than forwards in 2025. Which is both unacceptable but realistic.
But to finish off on a positive note, I’d like to dedicate a few words towards Harry Smith. Town’s top scorer this season deserves every ounce of credit. I’ll be honest with you, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the back of Smith earlier in the season after a poor start and a stupid sending off.
Since then, he has been a completely different player. It has got to the point where I look to see his name first on the team sheet. And why wouldn’t I? He has done a tremendous job of late.
So, there we have it, time for another year of this. And it’s time to give those on the pitch all our support, as in 2025 they might just need it more than ever.
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