Forty-three years...

I'm sure there will be a few sharing memories of the great day, just spare a thought for a young lad from a football hating family who had to just sit at home not really knowing what was going on, i can't remember it being on the radio as the first I knew of the final score was some old fashioned news flash writing on the bottom of the TV screen,and I'm sure it wasn't even on TV until the Sunday afternoon. I have side built up quite a bit of memorabilia of the final, Goal magazine for that week previewed the final and said that if the Town won it could be worth up to £50,000 for the club, on the front cover there was a big picture of one of the ugliest footballers ever to have graced the game, Ian Ure.

Swindon from division three,

Beat Arsenal with Bertie Mee

I was in the first year of my apprenticeship. I had won a stack of money off my mates betting on the games going through.

That weekend I was at home as opposed to being in Wales at training school. Unbeknown to me many of my mates had a bet on the Town to win. I turned up on the Monday and the whole place was awash with smiles.

A few of us had a re-union a couple of years back, and they still follow the Town's results and this year I have had many e-mails even from those who never made the re union wishing us well. As I told them before, "Swindon Town, are on the way back", even the doubters are now starting to believe in PDC, but most are in envy that we have Wray.
For me the unstated man of our finest hour was Danny Williams, because he instilled belief into our players. What a wonderful man. We are for ever in his debt.

Danny Williams.
For PDC to mentioned in the same breath as a legend makes me rankle.
I was at Wembley that day.
But DW's signings, Burrows, Harland, Smith, Noble, Penman, Heath, Butler etc.
We were an ordinary Div 3 team before then.
I may be am old git, but I reckon that that side could have given anyone a decent game.

Danny was great manager, he had probably the best eye for a signing of any manger we've ever had. He knew the game backwards, got the team to play for each other and ensured that they were super-fit.

Red's right...that team could have given anyone a game!

The thing is Red, Old Git you may be, but Likeable Old Git for sure, and would they give anyone a good game, well that season they did, quite a few good games that season on the way the Wembley, Wembley when it was proper with The Towers. A few other games in the League as well, and what ever did become of Willie Penman ? something of an unsung hero in the team, just seemed to fade away. The Don still attends home games, just a pleasure to see him walk in just the other day, looking older and a more than a bit of the dreaded grey these days, but the smile is still there, just say hi ya Sir Don , and smile and wink, it usually draws a nice reply. I did ask him the other day if PDC was going to sign him up, he just smiled and said "Maybe, mate, maybe", the knowing grin said it all. There are good players, really good players, and then the class above, I know where he belonged, and there never was any disputing that.

Don was the best player that I have ever seen. But, his one failing was that he wasn't consistantly brilliant. If he had been, he wouldn't have stayed so long with us. He was a big occasion player, brilliant at home with the large crowds, in those days, behind him & for the big games away. I remember a cup match at West Ham, where he almost destroyed them.
But, he never performed the same away at Bury on a Tuesday night league game in winter, for example.
I went to quite a few of those sort of games. The difference in him was unexplainable.
But, IMO, at his best, he was better than Best!
Back to that 69 side. Penman was always the boy on the edge of the side. But he wasn't very tall. If it hadn't been for huge Ure, I think he might have started. Noble, tho' not that tall had an incredible leap on him, but, on that pitch he couldn't have kept it going all game, so Smartie was played-a brilliant decision by DW.

The best player I've ever seen too...or will ever see I'm sure.

In the early 1970s I was able to see a First Division game every Saturday. Most of the time it was Chelsea as they were the easiest to get to and played good football. I saw all the great players of that era, George Best included and none, bar none, could beat players in a confined space like Don could. I saw the FA cup game at West Ham...Don took them apart, Moore, Hurst, Peters and the rest.

I saw both Don and George Best in the FA Youth Cup final first leg. Best was already well established in the Man Utd first team. Even then they were both outstanding talents. Both scored in a 1-1 draw; there was nothing between them.

I'm privileged that I saw Don play so many times; sheer genius and that's an understatement.

Strange, I was at that youth cup game. Travelled up from Chipp with my bro.
We got well stuffed in the 2nd leg as I remember. Which rather endorses my only criticisms of Don.
Wouldn't have been many Town fans there, not much of a big crowd at Old Trafford.