THE GROUND
The County Ground County Road Swindon Wiltshire SN1 2ED
Swindon Town have been playing at the County Ground since 1896 when they moved from the cricket club next door.
The stadium was refurbished in the 1990s and is now a 14,700 all-seater ground.
Away fans are housed in a corner of the Arkells Stand where up to 1,200 fans can be housed but more can be accommodated in the open Stratton Bank behind the goal if required.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 74 miles from Griffin Park to The County Ground by road.
Most drivers will approach The County Ground from the M4 – supporters can leave at junction 15 and take the A419 then A4259 to within sight of The County Ground.
There is limited parking available at the ground and town centre car parks are around half a mile away.
The nearest station is Swindon which is a 15 minute walk from The County Ground.
Swindon Station is served by First Great Western services from London Paddington and Reading.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE RECENT HISTORY
Swindon Town have spent recent flitting between Leagues One and Two and spent most of last season challenging for a place in The Championship.
The Wiltshire club have been very much in the news over the past few years.
They spent a year in the Premier League in 1993/94 but were then relegated in consecutive years before winning promotion back to the second tier in 1996.
They were relegated from what was then Division One in 2000 and have never been back to that level, although they have been very close.
They reached the Play-Off Semi-Finals in 2004 and the Play-Off Final in 2010 – having been relegated in 2006 and come straight back up the following year.
They were relegated in 2011 but then appointed Paolo Di Canio as manager.
He took them to the League Two title in 2012 and in to a promotion challenge last season.
They moved in to the top three in November – before Brentford won in Wiltshire – and then went top after winning away at Tranmere Rovers in February.
That win came a day after Di Canio resigned and the rest of his staff soon followed.
Kevin McDonald came in as manager but Swindon won only one of their next 11 games and eventually finished fifth.
They then, memorably, took on Brentford in the League One Play-Off Semi-Finals.
The Bees drew 1-1 in Wiltshire with a last gasp Kevin O’Connor penalty and went 2-0 and 3-1 up in the return leg before Swindon hit back, scoring a stoppage time equaliser to take the tie to extra time.
Brentford eventually won on penalties and Swindon’s season was over.
THE MANAGER
Kevin MacDonald was appointed as Swindon Town manager at the end of February following the departure of Paulo Di Canio.
It is his first permanent job as a manager after previously acting as assistant manager and caretaker at Aston Villa and as caretaker boss at Leicester City.
McDonald started his professional career at Leicester and spent time at Liverpool, Coventry City and Walsall among others.
The 52-year-old was named caretaker manager at Leicester when he was 34 and took up a full-time position as Aston Villa assistant manager in 2003, a position he held until 2012.
He also had a spell as Republic of Ireland assistant manager under Steve Staunton.
THE TOP SCORER
James Collins scored 18 goals for Swindon Town last season, 15 of them in npower League One.
He joined the Wiltshire side from Shrewsbury Town last summer for a fee of £140,000+, decided by tribunal.
The 22-year-old started out at Aston Villa but did not play a First Team game for them before joining Shrewsbury in 2011.
He helped Shrewsbury to promotion in 2012, behind Swindon, and then left to join The Robins when his contract expired.
THE KEY MEN
Changes have been made at Swindon this summer with many of the players that took the Wiltshire side to the League One Play-Offs departing.
Alan McCormack, who played 47 games in all competitions last season – captaining The Robins for many of them, has joined Brentford while five players were released.
Midfield player Simon Ferry, who played 50 games, defender Joe Devera, who scored in the Play-Off game at Griffin Park, forward Raffaele De Vita, who scored eight goals in 36 league games, and midfield player Tommy Miller, who played 39 games last season, were among those leaving.
Giant central defender Aden Flint joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee and wide man Gary Roberts, who played 44 games last term, also left.
Swindon had the second best attack in League One last season and the best defence.
As well as top scorer James Collins and De Vita, attacker Andy Williams scored 12 goals in 48 games in all competitions.
Adam Rooney, who was on loan from Birmingham with a deal agreed to sign permanently, scored ten in 49 games.
Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham played every one of Swindon’s 54 games last season while in defence Darren Ward played 43 games.
McDonald has added to his squad with the arrivals of defenders Jack Barthram from Tottenham Hotspur and Alex Smith from Fulham.
Defender Grant Hall and midfield player Massimo Luongo have signed on season long loans from Tottenham while Swindon have also signed midfield man Tijane Reis
THE FIRST MEETING
February 12 1921, Football League Division Three (Southern Section) – Swindon Town 1 Brentford 0
Brentford line-up: Young, Kearney, Rosier, Morris, Elliott, Challinor, Cartmell, King, Taylor, Anstiss, Henery.
The first Football League trip to The County Ground ends in defeat.
THE LAST MEETING
May 6 2013, npower League One Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg – Brentford 3 Swindon Town 3 After Extra Time (Brentford win 5-4 on penalties.
Brentford line-up: Moore; Logan, Dean, Craig, Bidwell; Diagouraga, Adeyemi (sub Douglas); Donaldson, Forshaw, Forrester (sub Saunders); Trotta (sub Hayes)
Subs (not used): Gounet, Hodson, O’Connor, Wright-Phillips
Brentford goal scorers: A. Rooney (OG), Donaldson (2)
Brentford booked their place in the npower League One Play-Off Final with a penalty shoot-out win over Swindon Town after a rollercoaster afternoon at Griffin Park.
Click here for a full match report.
THE MEMORABLE DAY April 22 2006, Coca-Cola League One – Swindon Town 1 Brentford 3
Brentford line-up: Nelson; O'Connor, Turner, Sodje, Frampton; Brooker (sub Rhodes), Newman, Pratley, Tabb; Gayle, Owusu (sub Willock)
Subs (not used): Lewis, Smith, Bankole.
Brentford goal scorers: Willock, Brooker, Gayle.
A superb individual goal by Paul Brooker is the pick of three fine strikes as Brentford continue their promotion push with a win in Wiltshire.