Neil Godwin: The Next Episode

This season is mind-blowing at times. Beating Aston Villa, beating Norwich, but smacked about by QPR Up into 2nd now, building a bit of a gap between you and 4th is now the goal tbh. Clem better get ready to commission Neil's statue outside the County Ground imo.

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Neil Godwin has made Swindon Town and FA Cup history as he led his side to it’s first-ever FA Cup Final with a 2-0 extra-time victory over Fulham.

With over 81,000 tickets sold, including over 36,000 Swindon fans inside the iconic arena, the game finished 0-0 after 90 minutes of football played between the League One promotion challengers and the Championship Play-Off contenders.

It was Jayden Mitchell-Lawson - an FA Cup icon for Swindon throughout their campaign - who opened the scoring in the 99th minute in the first-half of extra-time as Aston Villa loanee Aaron Ramsey picked a pass out for the winger who was able to dink the ball over Paulo Gazzaniga.

Midfielder Jamie Allen then picked out Aaron Ramsey’s run behind the high defensive line, putting the young star one-on-one with the goalkeeper who he slotted the ball past with incredible composure.

However, the star of the show throughout the game was goalkeeper Joe Wollacott who made 13 great saves, denying Fulham at every chance that they got past the Swindon back line.

“It’s possibly the most incredible feeling to have, to go even one further than last year!” Godwin said as he was pulled away into celebrations with his playing team, with goalscorer Jayden Mitchell-Lawson dragging him over with Jonny Williams.

The club will receive half of the gate receipts for the Wembley crowd, as well as £900,000 in prize money for reaching the FA Cup Final, which will take place against the holders Liverpool at Wembley on Saturday 27th May.

In the meantime, the club will look to secure a back-to-back promotion as they lead 3rd place in League One by five points with only four league fixtures remaining, sitting just one point behind leaders Queens Park Rangers.

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James: Maybe we just get lucky in the cup! The QPR loss is disappointing but as league leaders it's easy to see why, they have just been relegated and have the strongest squad in the division by some distance. With only 1st and 2nd getting automatics, building that lead over 3rd is the key!

Congrats on the massive win

This FA Cup run is absolutely stupendous at this point! The amount of money that Neil's bringing into the club via shared ticket sales and so on... you guys must be loaded! You must have the money to sign Andy Carroll by now...

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Swindon Town have announced that top scorer Jake Scrimshaw will sign for the club permanently in June.

The 22-year-old Bournemouth loanee has had an outstanding season this year, scoring 27 goals in 41 games in all competitions, including 17 goals in League One.

The record makes him the highest scorer at the club by a long margin and the 3rd top scorer in the division.

Scrimshaw will join for a fee of £25,000 at the end of his deal with Bournemouth in June and he has agreed a deal at the County Ground until June 2025.

This comes as Swindon begin to secure new deals for key players such as goalkeeper Joe Wollacott, defender Josh Pask and key midfielder Jamie Allen.

However, it remains to be seen what happens with Swindon’s two other loanees Aaron Ramsey and Oisin McEntee, with the former having really impressed this year with 7 goals and 5 assists in 30 appearances, along with some quality performances on the pitch.

Rumours are strong around the club that Swindon will look to bring Ramsey back whichever league they will be playing in next season, but that they will search for a more permanent solution to Oisin McEntee’s loan deal.

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MJK: Thanks mate!
James: We've certainly earned our fair bit of coin from these past two years! Sadly Andy Carroll has left his playing days so we're unable to sign him even if we wanted

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Swindon Town were able to celebrate promotion on their dearest rivals’ turf today as they secured their promotion to the Championship with a 1-1 draw against Oxford United.

Swindon Town now lead 3rd placed Derby County by five points with one game remaining, leaving there no room for Derby to mathematically catch them anymore.

The five point lead was established with Swindon’s 2-1 win over Plymouth earlier in the month and that was treated as a momentous day, but now Swindon fans can party hard as they return to the Championship for the first time since 2000.

Oxford’s Elliot Lee put them in the lead in the first-half, but their opener was quickly responded to by their next permanent signing Jake Scrimshaw as he bagged his 29th goal of the season.

Manager Neil Godwin thanked the fans of the club for helping to guide his team to another historical day for the club, just a fortnight after winning the FA Cup Semi-Final against Fulham.

“We have so much to look forward to as a club, we can think on to next season in a very well-established league and we have a chance to win arguably the biggest domestic cup competition in the world at the end of the season.

“For now, we celebrate, we try our best to catch QPR on the final day, if not, we celebrate regardless. We have earned every bit of this and I can’t speak enough of my pride at this moment.” said Godwin on the Kassam Stadium pitch at the end of the game.

Swindon Town are one point behind league leaders Queens Park Rangers - who confirmed their promotion today - and are level on goal difference going into the final day where Swindon will face Shrewsbury and QPR will play Crewe away from home.

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PROMOTION! Yeeeeees! A fantastic way to end the season, and it could get even sweeter if the trip to Wembley goes to plan. With Carroll now unavailable, I'm going to have to think of someone similar to take his place Hmmmm, Kyle Hudlin!?

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Swindon Town’s second outstanding FA Cup run came to a close as they lost 2-1 to Liverpool, who picked up their second cup in two seasons.

Sadio Mané netted the opener for Liverpool just before half-time as Roberto Firmino found his run into the area as he struck it first time past Joe Wollacott’s near post.

Swindon were aided slightly by Liverpool going down to ten men due to Fabinho’s sending off just after the hour mark.

However, this wasn’t enough for Swindon who were punished in the 91st minute with a Roberto Firmino goal as he placed it to Wollacott’s far side for the decisive goal.

Swindon Town did try their best to get back into the game in the 95th minute as Mitchell-Lawson danced around Robertson two times before getting a shot away, which was palmed directly into Dan Crowley’s path to score a consolation goal at the death.

Jonny Williams did have a very close offside goal ruled out in the 51st minute when Louis Reed played the ball through the heart of the pressing Liverpool defence before it was slotted home with the linesmans flag down. However, following VAR assistance, the goal was chalked off.

The recently promoted League One side were a credit to themselves as they faced the holders, and the scoreline reflected their defensive performance, particularly with Wollacott making 16 saves throughout the game.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was full of praise for Swindon manager despite the ongoing celebrations, saying that Godwin’s side were well-deserving of being finalists this season on their performance in the final alone.

From Neil Godwin, he was delighted with his team and stated how much he was looking forward to moving into the Championship with the team he has. Godwin also revealed that attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey had renewed his loan for the next season after starring in the final.

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James: Sadly it wasn't meant to be at Wembley, but what a journey so far! Hudlin is a great shout, but with Scrimshaw signing permanently, it makes things less likely for other strikers

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Oh my goodness, just 1-point away from QPR, with a BETTER goal difference than them! That's so devastating in a way, but the key thing is the promotion. Losing the FA Cup final is always heartbreaking, but there's no shame whatsoever in a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool. The club is headed in the right direction, can be very proud of their efforts, but need to focus on the goals for next season now.

Always looking forwards, never backwards!

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As we approach the beginning of our first season in the second tier since 2000, we have made 11 new first-team signings, with 2 players returning from last season.

We have spent a total of just over £1million in transfer fees in preparation, with a bulk of players joining on free transfers or loan deals. Our new affiliation with Chelsea has helped us secure the signatures of two players on loan without having to pay any of their salary, which has been very helpful.

We sold or released 6 members of our first team squad, with an additional one - Ben Gladwin - heading out on loan to League One for the season with MK Dons. With an income of just over £600,000 from player sales, our total net spend for the summer has been at around the £400,000 mark.

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Following the expiration of Jacob Adams’ contract this summer and his subsequent move to Sheffield Wednesday, we needed a new back-up for our star keeper Joe Wollacott.

After a successful loan to Gap Connah’s Quay in the Welsh Premier where he kept 12 clean sheets in 31 games, David Robson joins us on a free transfer from Hull City. I think that Robson will do well when asked, though appearances may be few and far between for the duration of his deal here.

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The first man through the door in defence was Queens Park Rangers right-back Osman Kakay, who has ended up becoming our most expensive signing of the summer, too.

Kakay became a first-team regular at Loftus Road last season in their League One title-winning season as we came behind them in 2nd place. Following a successful loan spell with A-League club Macarthur FC, he made 31 appearances across all competitions last season under John Eustace.

He has been brought in to replace the departing Sean Long at right-back and battle for his spot with Rob Hunt and Lawal Omoregie.

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Also joining us in centre-back is Hearts’ Jordan Thorniley. The 26-year-old failed to break into a regular spot in the Scottish Premiership following his £10k move from Blackpool.

He has played Championship level football before with Sheffield Wednesday, making 20 appearances in 2018-19 but has played much more frequently and recently in League One with our fierce rivals Oxford United, as well as his former club Blackpool.

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Towards the end of last season, we agreed a second season-long loan spell for Aaron Ramsey with Aston Villa in the Premier League.

I felt Ramsey did really well in the #10 role last season, making 35 appearances altogether, scoring 7 goals and making 5 assists in the role.

With his deal at Villa Park expiring in two years, Ramsey was far too expensive to try and make the deal permanent at this current stage of the club’s progression, but we hope to develop him and hopefully tie him down to the County Ground as soon as possible.

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Joining us following his Middlesbrough contract expiration, Lewis Wing has signed a three-year deal with us as we looked to get better midfielders than Ryan East and Ben Gladwin.

Middlesbrough could not find a spot for Wing in their starting eleven last season despite an outstanding League One performance with Sheffield Wednesday the season before where he scored 4 and assisted 10 in 45 appearances for the Owls.

I think we have found a bargain here, particularly with good attributes from set-pieces which could be a key component to gaining points against stronger sides this season.

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MK Dons’ central midfielder David Kasumu joined us shortly after Lewis Wing and the pair could link up in the middle throughout the season. An MK Dons academy graduate, he joins us for £180,000.

He established himself as a key part of MK Dons’ team, making 126 league appearances alone over four seasons in the first-team setup at Stadium:mk.

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Edwin Andersson was the second loan player to join us from our new link-up with Chelsea, joining one week after Jude Soonsup-Bell became the first to join us from Stamford Bridge.

The young Swede has spent the past two seasons on loan, winning the Welsh Premier with The New Saints in 2022 before facing relegation with Livingston in the Scottish Premiership last season in what was a tough year.

I am hoping that his ability to break down the wing with his pace and dribbling quality can help deliver some good service to the strikers.

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After a strong season with Leyton Orient in League One last season, Josh Neufville joins us permanently for £95,000 from Luton Town.

The winger has been reduced to loan spells mainly throughout his Luton career, with spells at Solihull Moors, Woking, Yeovil, Walsall and most recently Leyton Orient, we are hoping to finally give him a chance in the second tier that wasn’t available with Luton.

With his pace, dribbling, finishing and technique, we are hoping that he can prove to be a valuable asset.

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The signing of Gremio attacking midfielder Patrick really caught the eye of fans, who had been expecting a more domestic and Western European style of recruiting.

Despite never playing in England previously, we were able to gain a work permit for the Brazilian who won the Gaúcho State Championship in 2022 with Gremio. During his 2021 loan spell with Brasil de Pelotas, Patrick was a star as he was involved in 18 goals in 45 games in Brazil’s Série B.

Patrick takes the number 10 shirt this season, like so many of his Brazilian attacking midfield idols have worn previously. We hope for a similar impact on the pitch in the Championship.

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We had to bring back Jake Scrimshaw on a permanent deal following his amazing performance in League One last season where he scored 29 goals in 43 games in all competitions, also making 4 assists.

With Bournemouth selling Scrimshaw to us for a small fee of £26,000, we hope that he can prove their decision to be a poor one as we play in the same division as them now.

I can trust Scrimshaw to score us goals, so I am hoping that he can replicate his 2022-23 form into the new season in a higher division.

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Jude Soonsup-Bell was our first loan move from Chelsea this season, as we look to create a challenge for Jake Scrimshaw up front.

Initially, we wanted to sign recently released West Brom striker Kenneth Zohore. However, the Danish forward was unable to get a work permit to play in England again so he was unavailable to us.

Soonsup-Bell has only made 1 first-team appearance for his parent club as he came on in the League Cup last year. The forward did come through Swindon’s academy, too, so we are hoping that the adaptability to his surroundings will come immediately.

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Despite not gaining a work permit, we will be searching for a temporary loan club for our new signing Fidelis Osigwe who joins us from Australian club Canberra United.

The 4-time Australian would certainly be our best attacker if he was able to play in England, despite only being 18 years old.

In 13 appearances for the CU Academy, Osigwe has scored 6 times. For his country, he has already bagged 2 goals in 4 international caps for the national team.

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James: It's a little bit disappointing not to do the whole thing but despite that, 83 points and automatic promotion feels like an incredible achievement for a newly promoted side! Really looking forward to the Championship now

You've done some great business in the transfer market imo, and I honestly can't see you being dragged into a relegation battle as a result of it. I'm really intrigued to see how Jude Soonsup-Bell does for you, purely due to his links to Thailand, whilst I'm also wondering if we'll ever see Fidelis get a work permit. He has so much 'pun potential', so it'd be a big loss if you're forced into selling him!

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Swindon Town fan favourite Jayden Mitchell-Lawson has completed a £50,000 move to Shrewsbury Town on Deadline Day.

The winger was one of Swindon’s key components from the bench in their League One promotion campaign as he scored 10 goals in 32 appearances last season, with 12 appearances coming from the bench.

Mitchell-Lawson also scored vital goals in the team’s FA Cup run to the Final at Wembley last season as he scored the winners against Newcastle United, Norwich City and Fulham.

The 24-year-old originally came through the Swindon academy before an early move to Derby. After six years and only two first-team appearances for The Rams, Mitchell-Lawson returned to the County Ground on a free transfer in 2021 where he made 49 appearances in all competitions in his first season where Godwin led the side to the League Two title.

The departure will come as an emotional one for fans who knew the player as a match-winner in big games.

However, Mitchell-Lawson wished to leave at the end of his deal expiring at the end of the season due to increased quality in his position following the arrivals of Edwin Andersson and Josh Neufville at Swindon and Neil Godwin decided to cash in on the player.

He now goes back down to League One with Shrewsbury Town, managed by Steve Cotterill who was delighted with the signing.

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James: I can't wait to see where JSB's best role is and if he competes with Scrimshaw's own tally this season. As for Fidelis, a huge shame we can't use him at the moment but hopefully will be brilliant in a few years!

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A bit of an 'up and down' time early on, but to already have 11-points on the board: that's a major positive. As long as you end up with [at least] 40-46 points, I think you'll be safe tbh. Was nice to see you beat QPR, but the loss to Forest must've stung!