They`ve Played for Your Club…..Swindon Supermarine

Continuing the series on players who have represented the current clubs in the Southern Football League.

Swindon Supermarine`s tenure as a member of the Southern League spans the 21st century.

The won the Hellenic League title in 2000/01 to win a place in the Division One West and since then, have been promoted, relegated and promoted again to be currently an established Premier Division South club.

The present club was formed in 1992 from the amalgamation of two established Hellenic League clubs in Swindon Athletic and Supermarine.

At the time of the merger, fortunes were not running well for both clubs. Supermarine were to finish in bottom place in Division One in the 1991/92 season and Swindon Athletic were having problems improving their facilities at their Swindon Borough Council owed Southbrook Recreation ground, and to comply with the then new league rules both clubs recognised that they could best achieve their ambitions by a merger and the new club.

So, Swindon Supermarine Football Club took the place of Swindon Athletic in the Hellenic League Premier Division.

As well as becoming a stable club in the league, `Marine enjoyed a fine FA Cup run in 2010/11 under the management of Mark Collier.

They eased through the First, Second and Third Qualifying Rounds with comfortable wins over Brading Town, Weymouth and Hungerford Town respectively.

They were paired with Conference neighbours Bath City in the Fourth Qualifying Round and, after a 0-0 draw at home, achieved a remarkable 4-3 success in the replay at Twerton Park, thanks to a 94th minute winner from Kyle Lapham after coming back from being 3-1 down!

In the First Round, `Marine were drawn at home to then-Conference North side Eastwood Town and they caused another upset when they won 2-1 win.

The Second Round took them away to League One side Colchester United where, despite a valiant performance, the cup run ended with a hard-fought 1-0 defeat.

The club`s record goalscorer, Damon York, didn`t get to play in the Southern League, however.

Locally born, he was with Swindon Athletic before the merger and had two spells with `Marine.

He signed in 1990, returned in 1993 and departed two seasons before they made the step up to the Southern League.

In between his time at Hunts Copse as the ground was initially known as, York turned out for Wootton Bassett Town, Cirencester Town and Highworth Town.

Striker Josh Parsons had several spells with `Marine and sits second behind Damon York in the club`s all-time scorers` list with 122 goals in 150 games.

After being released by Swindon Town, he briefly turned out for Cirencester Town in the 2011/12 pre-season before opting to join `Marine.

He joined National League South side Hungerford Town in the summer of 2014 after scoring 25 goals in 27 starts before switching to Cirencester for a second spell in the October of 2014.
He had three spells with Swindon Supermarine, with stints back at Hungerford and Highworth Town sandwiched between.

He spent the second half of the 2018/19 season with Hellenic League side Shrivenham Town before re-joining Southern Division One South outfit Cirencester Town in June 2019.

The current record appearance holder is Chris Taylor, who played 378 times for the club in three spells.

The now vastly experienced midfielder who was still registered with Hellenic League Premier Division side Royal Wootton Bassett Town this season, was originally with Swindon Town, where he made a handful of first-team appearances as well as 16 whilst on loan to Newport County in two spells.

He first moved to Swindon Supermarine in August 2006 and in between his time at the Webbs Wood, he turned out for Highworth Town, Cirencester Town, Maidenhead United and Hungerford Town.

He also spent time `down under` with Aussie side Dandenong Thunder.

Midfielder Tom Jones made one of the longest transfers in British football history, moving from Conference side Weymouth to Scottish giants Aberdeen in 1987 for £30,000.

He had made 48 appearances for the Terras, scoring 14 times and also won England semi-professional international hoours.

He had started out on Chelsea`s books as a youngster and had played for Farnborough Town in the Isthmian League before signing for Weymouth in 1986.

Swindon Town`s Lou Macari brought him back to England at the beginning of the 1988/89 season, having played 28 times for the Dons, and he made his League debut against Watford, scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 win at Vicarage Road.

Jones played a major role in Swindon`s promotion-winning season of 1989/90, making 46 appearances, including the play-off final against Sunderland.

He was a regular member of the squad for the following two seasons, before Glenn Hoddle sold him to local rivals Reading shortly before the 1992/93 season, having played 210 times and scored 12 goals for the club.

He played 79 times for the Royals and then went back into non-League football with Conference side Woking in 1996.

Jones then spent a season with Forest Green Rovers and helped them to win the Southern Premier Division title and promotion to the Conference in 1998.

He left The Lawn to join Swindon Supermarine after that, despite it meaning dropping into the Hellenic League.

In 1999, whilst still turning out as a player for `Marine, he was appointed a youth coach at former club Swindon Town.

He helped `Marine win promotion to the Southern League and was player/assistant manager, making around 90 appearances and scoring 14 goals.

He finished off his playing career in the Hellenic League with Shrivenham and then spent time coaching abroad with South Korean side Busan I`Park and for the Armenian national side.

He returned to `Marine as assistant to Mark Collier and then followed him to Chippenham Town.

He went on to become assistant boss at Highworth Town and in June 2020, Jones joined Hellenic League neighbours Royal Wootton Bassett Town as a coach.

Matt Robinson is an Exeter-born full back who began his career at Southampton.

During little more than four years the Saints went through five different managers - Ian Branfoot, Alan Ball, Dave Merrington, Graeme Souness and Dave Jones - and Robinson’s first team chances were restricted until he met up with Ball again at Portsmouth where he started to flourish.

In his two seasons with Pompey, Robinson chalked up 69 appearances and chipped in with a goal too.

A £150,000 fee took him to Reading in January 2000 and, overall, he made 75 appearances for the Royals.

During his ending season, Robinson played 16 times as the club finished as Division Two runners-up and promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Nicky Shorey’s arrival at Reading prompted a move to Oxford United in 2002 and there he became a regular in the side, totalling 171 starts in the league and 15 in the cup competitions, all in just over four years.

After his time at Oxford, Robinson moved to the Conference to play for Forest Green Rovers, racking up 30 appearances before moving to Salisbury City in 2007.

He spent a season with Southern League Division One South & West outfit AFC Totton, who he helped to a play-off place before losing in the semi-finals to Cirencester Town.

He then spent a couple of seasons with Swindon Supermarine and was joint manager with Gary Horgan in 2011 until the end of the 2011/12 season when Dave Webb arrived.

Robinson retired from playing in 2012, aged 38 and later joined his former `Marine manager Mark Collier to Chippenham Town as a coach.

Left back Danny Allen joined Swindon Supermarine in 2005 and went on to make 347 appearances for the club in nine seasons with the club.

An England under-18 international, the Swindon-born player actually started his career with Swindon Supermarine in the late 1990s when he was part of the youth set-up and played for the `Marine academy side.

He then embarked on a five-year spell with Conference side Forest Green Rovers, and it was whilst with them he won his England cap against Northern Ireland alongside Forest Green team-mate Adi Adams with the game being played at The Lawn.

During his time at Rovers, he spent a loan spell at Southern League South & West side Paulton Rovers before signing for them in 2004 after being released from The New Lawn.

He left Paulton just after Christmas 2004 to join what were to be the Hellenic League champions and FA Vase winners that season, Didcot Town.

He returned to `Marine in February 2006 to embark on a long and enjoyable spell with the club, finishing at the end of the 2013/14 season.

Striker Ashley Edenborough signed for Swindon Supermarine in the summer of 2007 from Hellenic Leaguers Fairford Town.

Although inexperienced at Southern League level, he quickly settled in to play a vital role in the squad in his first season and scored 11 goals, some of which were crucial goals along the way.

This was almost equalled the following season with 10 more goals to his name.

Edenborough went on to make over 250 appearances for `Marine in three spells, scoring 104 goals.

In between his time at the WebbsWood, he turned out for Chippenham Town, Cirencester Town and Evesham United in the Southern League.

In 2017, he joined Southern Division One South side Highworth Town in from Evesham.

Another striker, Steve Cook, first signed for the club back in March 2005 from Cheltenham Town where he had progressed through the youth system.

He played a number of games for Cheltenham`s reserve side before initially signing for `Marine on `work experience`.

He only made a couple of substitute appearances and left for Cirencester Town and then moved to Taunton Town where he scored a number of goals including a hat-trick in one game against Swindon Supermarine!

Manager Mark Collier made a number of attempts to re-sign Cook between 2006 and 2008 during which time he played for the likes of Team Bath, Taunton, Cirencester Town and Clevedon Town and at the start of the 2008/09 season he was successful.

He played for club throughout the season but left in July 2009 and signed for Hungerford Town before returning at the start of December 2009 for his third spell with `Marine.

Defender Dave Bampton went on to make almost 200 appearances for `Marine after joining in February 2010 from then-Conference North side Worcester City.

He went on to become a popular player and skipper for many seasons before a bad back injury forced him to hang up his boots midway through the 2014/15 season.

In common with many of `Marine`s players past and present, Bampton started his career with neighbours Swindon Town.

He made 3 senior appearances for Town before being released in 2004.

In May 2005 he signed for then-Conference club Tamworth and over the following four seasons he became a firm favourite with the Lambs` fans, playing in an FA Cup tie against Premier side Stoke City in his first full season.

His performances for Tamworth prompted a selection for the England semi-professional international side but injury prevented him making his debut.

At the start of the 2008/09 season, he signed for Worcester but due to a cost cutting exercise before the start of the 2009/10 season he was released and signed for `Marine and was made club captain in February 2011.

After a spell out with the injury, Bampton made a comeback with Hellenic League side Shrivenham in 2017/18 before returning to `Marine in the 2018 close season.

After proving his fitness, he re-signed for the club and, although appearances were a little more spasmodic, he did play on until calling it a day in 2019.

Another defender, Wayne Hatswell, actually started his career with Swindon Supermarine.

He progressed through to become a first team regular, making his debut as a 16-year-old.

After four years in the squad, he moved on to have spells with Witney Town, Cinderford Town and then Forest Green Rovers, who he signed for in 1999.

He remained at Forest Green for two season and in 2001, achieved notoriety by scoring a classic own goal in an FA Cup tie against Morecambe which, unfortunately for him, was caught on camera and replayed virtually every time the FA Cup came along!

Despite this, his form came to the attention of a number of Football League sides, and, after playing over 60 times for Forest Green, he moved to Oxford United for £35,000 in December 2000.

He made over 50 appearances for the U`s before moving to Chester City in the summer of 2002.

Kidderminster Harriers then paid £8,000 for the central defender in October 2003, and he established himself as club captain, and earning a three-year contract at Aggborough.

He moved on to join Rishden & Diamonds in January 2006 during the transfer window for a fee reported to be £8,000.

He played 75 times for Diamonds, scoring 5 goals, before transferring to Cambridge United in January 2008 for a fee of around £20,000.

After a successful period at Cambridge United, he agreed a two-year deal to become player-coach at League of Ireland Premier Division side Dundalk, joining the club in January 2010.

He was soon offered the post of assistant manager but after just a year in the post, he was released by mutual agreement at the end of December to join up with Dean Holdsworth at Conference side Newport County, taking up a player-coaching role from January 2011.

He left at the end of the 2011/12 season, before agreeing a deal with newly promoted Conference North side Brackley Town in August 2012.

The following November, Hatswell announced his retirement from the game, but less than two months later, was appointed manager at Northern Premier League Division One South side Stamford AFC.

After just four months, he guided the club to promotion following a play-off final win over Chasetown, but this was to be his final game in charge of the Daniels as in May 2013, he took up the post of first team coach at newly promoted League Two side Newport County, teaming up with former Diamonds` boss Justin Edinburgh.

He left there in 2015 after Edinburgh moved to Gillingham, joining up again at Gillingham for 18 months before returning to Newport as assistant manager in March 2017.

Son of former Swindon Town legend Kenny, who made over 300 appearances during the 1970s and 80s, David Stroud also started his career with the County Ground outfit.

He made a surprise breakthrough into the first team in October 2005 when still a youth team player. With new manager Iffy Onuora previously responsible for youth development, he gave Stroud a chance in a match at promotion chasing Huddersfield Town, and he responded with a promising performance that drew praise from the boss - his pace giving the Huddersfield defence problems down the left flank.

After continuing in the first team the following week, a hamstring injury sidelined Stroud for a period, and he didn't appear in the first team again until the New Year, when he came off the bench at Hartlepool United in January - it proved to be his last appearance of the campaign.

Nevertheless, he was offered a six-month contract, with an option for a further six, at the end of the season when his scholarship period ended.

Late in September 2006, new boss Dennis Wise allowed Stroud to go out on loan to then-Conference South outfit Basingstoke Town, where he had previously had a spell on `work experience` in 2005.

After helping Basingstoke reach the Second Round of the FA Cup with a win over League One Chesterfield, Stroud was recalled to the County Ground, in order to be assessed by new Town manager Paul Sturrock.

Six weeks later, Stroud's contract expired at Swindon, and Sturrock made the decision to release him.

After being released from Swindon in 2006, he signed for Swindon Supermarine, and scored in their play-off final win over Taunton Town in May 2007.

He left the WebbsWood in 2008 for a stint coaching in the United States.

After returning to England in November 2009, Stroud signed for then-Hellenic League side Highworth Town.

Midfielder Ben Wells is another to have started his career at Swindon Town where he was part of the successful youth set-up.

He made his first team debut for Swindon against Huddersfield Town in May 2006.

He joined then-Conference South side Basingstoke Town on loan in September 2006 and became part of the successful FA Cup side until he was recalled by Swindon's new manager just after the victory at League One outfit Chesterfield.

He was soon released by Swindon, however, and signed for Basingstoke permanently in the summer of 2007.

Despite playing much of the season in an unfavoured right midfield position, Wells had a good year, playing almost 50 times and scoring 7 goals.

However, he left Basingstoke in July 2008 and joined then-Conference South rivals Weston-super-Mare where he spent two seasons until he joined Southern Premier Division outfit Cirencester Town.

He became a firm favourite with Centurians` fans but after a bad injury found his opportunities limited in his second season and struggled to establish himself as a regular in the starting line-up after he recovered.

He left Cirencester mid-way through the 2014/15 season.

He later turned out for Hellenic League side Newent Town.

Goalkeeper Tom King went on to make 244 appearances for Swindon Supermarine.

He was destined to don the gloves as his grandfather, father, uncle and brother were all goalkeepers!

He began his playing days with Forest Green Rovers as a youngster and then joined Shortwood United in the Hellenic League, making his first team debut at the age of 17.

But in January 2000 he signed dual registration forms with then-Southern League Division One West side Gloucester City

King originally signed as cover for the suspended Ryan Gannaway but following the news that Gannaway had quit the club, King was thrust into first team action permanently.

His lack of experience didn't help as the Tigers were relegated and King left Meadow Park in the summer.

He returned to Shortwood and also had spells with Witney Town and Highworth Town before his move to `Marine in 2003.

In the summer of 2008, King left to join local rivals Cirencester Town with Matt Bulman, going in the opposite direction, despite King having been the managers` player of the year for 2007/08.

In June 2009, at the end of his one-year contract, he left Cirencester to join then-Southern League rivals, Bishops Cleeve.

In 2012, King re-joined Shortwood as they embarked on their short spell as a Southern League club.

In March 2019, King made a surprise comeback playing for National League South side Gloucester City as an emergency signing following a keeper injury crisis.

And, after keeping a clean sheet in his first game playing in the sixth tier of English football at the age of 38 against Wealdstone, King was named in the National League South team of the week!

It was a brief return, however, as Gloucester found a solution to their goalkeeping problem.

Swindon Supermarine Web Site