2014–15 Swindon Town F.C. season

2014–15 Swindon Town F.C. season
Chairman	Lee Power
Manager	Mark Cooper
Ground	County Ground, Swindon
League One	4th
FA Cup	First round
League Cup	Second round
League Trophy	2nd Round (South)
Top goalscorer	League: Andy Williams (21); All: Andy Williams

The 2014–15 season was Swindon Town's third consecutive season in the League One since gaining promotion from League Two in 2012. Swindon were seeking to better the 2013–14 season, a campaign that resulted in the Wiltshire club narrowly missing out on a spot in the play-offs.[1]

Alongside the league campaign, Swindon Town also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup and the Football League Trophy.

Chronological list of events

April (2014)

17 April 2014: Jose Antonio wins the annual Samsung Win a Pro Contact competition. The one-year deal is scheduled to begin in the Summer of 2014.[2]
26 April 2014: Youth graduates Matty Jones and Curtis Da Costa are offered professional contracts.[3]
28 April 2014: Local press in Gloucestershire link Swindon to Forest Green Rovers and England C defender, Jamie Turley.[4]

May (2014)

3 May 2014: It is announced that senior players Dany N'Guessan, Alex Smith, Lee Cox, Jay McEveley and Paul Benson will not be offered new contracts.[5]
3 May 2014: Development players Aaron Oakley, Kayden Jackson, Leigh Bedwell, Mark Francis and Alex Ferguson are also released by the club.[6]
7 May 2014: Miles Storey is reported to have attracted interest from fellow League One side Notts County and League Two sides Shrewsbury Town and Portsmouth.[7]
14 May 2014: Australia Head Coach Ange Postecoglou names Town midfielder Massimo Luongo within his 30-man provisional squad ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil.[8]
16 May 2014: A scheduled courtroom hearing between lawyers representing club owners Swinton Reds Ltd and the previous owners Seebeck 87 Ltd is postponed.[9]
22 May 2014: It is announced that Swindon Town's sponsorship deal with Samsung has ended after three seasons.[10]
27 May 2014: Massimo Luongo survives the first cut as the Australia squad for the World Cup is reduced from 30 to 27 players.[11]
28 May 2014: It is belatedly reported that Swindon Town had been interested in signing ex-England defender Nicky Shorey before he signed a new deal with Portsmouth.[12]
30 May 2014: The club release a statement announcing that the ownership dispute between Swinton Reds Ltd and Seebeck 87 Ltd will be decided in the High Court on 26 June 2014.[13][14]

June

3 June 2014: Massimo Luongo is named in the final 23-man Australia squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Luongo becomes the first footballer since Jan Åge Fjørtoft in 1994 to represent Swindon Town at the World Cup Finals.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
13 June 2014: It is confirmed that Jack Barthram and Connor Waldon have signed contract extensions and will remain with the club.[22]
14 June 2014: Reports suggest that out-of-contract Town defender Troy Archibald-Henville has been offered to other clubs by his representatives while contract negotiations continue.[23]
17 June 2014: The Swindon Advertiser report that Swindon Town are close to agreeing a new three-year sponsorship deal worth around £250,000 with locally based company, Imagine Cruising.[24]
19 June 2014: Imagine Cruising are officially announced as the club's new kit sponsor.[25]
24 June 2014: Portsmouth are reported to be on the brink of signing young Town forward Miles Storey on loan until the end of the 2014/15 season.[26]
25 June 2014: High Court proceedings to determine the ownership of Swindon Town F.C. begins.[27][28]
26 June 2014: The second day of High Court proceedings closes with Judge Nicholas Strauss QC unable to reach a verdict.[29][30]
26 June 2014: The Swindon Advertiser report that Tyrell Belford has been made available for loan.[31]
27 June 2014: Steve Hale is appointed Head of Goalkeeping.[32]

July

1 July 2014: Swindon Town's ownership battle has been settled after a High Court Judge Nicholas Strauss QC ruled that chairman Lee Power's takeover was carried out properly while former owner Jed McCrory is ordered to pay legal costs likely to total over £50,000. Lee Power reacts to the decision by calling the former owners, 'rogues'.[33][34][35]
3 July 2014: Swindon Town chairman Lee Power writes an open letter apologising for the recent trials and tribulations that the club had experienced.[36][37][38]
8 July 2014: Chairman Lee Power confirms during a BBC Radio Wiltshire phone-in that Swindon Town are looking to bring Southampton defender Jack Stephens back to Wiltshire.[39]
9 July 2014: Town defender Nathan Thompson is linked as a possible transfer target for fellow League One side Peterborough United.[40]
11 July 2014: Manager Mark Cooper admits that Darren Ward and midfielder Ryan Harley are not in his future plans.[41]
14 July 2014: It is reported that young Liverpool left-back Brad Smith is a loan transfer target for Swindon Town.[42]
15 July 2014: The BBC report that Swindon have rejected a £600,000 bid from Rotherham United for Massimo Luongo.[43]
15 July 2014: Scott Lindsey is appointed the new manager of the Under-18's side.[44]
16 July 2014: A tentative £200,000 bid by Peterborough United for Town captain Nathan Thompson is rejected.[45]
16 July 2014: Ibrahim Kargbo is banned indefinitely by the Sierra Leone Football Association for alleged match-fixing just days after completing an unsuccessful trial spell with Swindon Town.[46]
30 July 2014: Swindon Town are reported to be hoping to conclude a loan deal for Southampton defender Jordan Turnbull.[47]

August

7 August 2014: Nathan Thompson is confirmed as the new club captain.[48]
7 August 2014: BBC Wiltshire report that Swindon Town have had a bid rejected for Östersunds FK centre forward Modou Barrow.[49]
11 August 2014: Reported interest from Coventry City for Town forward Michael Smith is debunked by Sky Blues manager Steven Pressley.[50]
14 August 2014: Brad Smith returns to Liverpool for assessment after suffering a grade one medial strain.[51]
18 August 2014: Mark Cooper concedes that Swindon Town may not be able to re-sign Southampton's Jack Stephens on loan after the young defender was named on the bench for the Saints' first Premier League game at Liverpool.[52]
20 August 2014: Gillingham manager Peter Taylor bemoans Town manager Mark Coopers' celebrations after Stephen Bywater's late own goal in the 2–2 draw.[53]
21 August 2014: Massimo Luongo and Brad Smith are called up by Australia for their friendlies against Belgium and Saudi Arabia.[54]

September

4 September 2014: Massimo Luongo earns his second cap for Australia in the Socceroos' 2-0 loss to Belgium.[55]
8 September 2014: Brad Smith makes his Australia debut while Massimo Luongo impresses in the Socceroos' 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia at Craven Cottage.[56]
17 September 2014: The club dismiss tabloid links to ex-Manchester United and Burnley midfielder, Chris Eagles.[57]
30 September 2014: Swindon Town are reported to be interested in Norwich City forward Jamar Loza as cover for the injured Jonathan Obika.[58]

December

5 December 2014: Mark Cooper is named the Football League One Manager of the Month for November 2014.[59]

January

31 January 2015: Massimo Luongo scores the first goal in Australia's triumph over South Korea in the final of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

May (2015)

7 May 2015: Swindon Town played Sheffield United in the first leg of their League One playoff semi-final. They won the game 2-1 with goals from Sam Ricketts and Nathan Byrne for Swindon Town.
11 May 2015: Swindon Town played Sheffield United in the second leg of their League One playoff semi-final. The game ended 5-5 with goals from Ben Gladwin (2), Michael Smith (2) and Jonathan Obika to progress to the playoff final 7-6 on aggregate. They will play Preston North End at Wembley Stadium on 24 May 2015 for promotion to the Football League Championship.

Transfers

As of 21 March 2015

Players transferred in
No.	Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
1	17 April 2014	DF	Antonio Josue	Staines Town	Competition Winner	[2]
2	17 July 2014	MF	Anton Rodgers	Oldham Athletic	Free	[67]
3	29 August 2014	MF	Jake Reeves	Brentford	Free	[68]
4	1 September 2014	FW	Jonathan Obika	Tottenham Hotspur	Undisclosed	[69]
5	8 January 2015	FW	Jermaine Hylton	Redditch United	Free	[70]
6	27 March 2015	GK	Cameron Belford	Rushall Olympic	Free
Players transferred out
No.	Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1	1 July 2014	DF	Troy Archibald-Henville	Carlisle United	Released	[71]
2	1 July 2014	GK	Leigh Bedwell	Banbury United	Released	[72]
3	1 July 2014	FW	Paul Benson	Luton Town	Released	[73]
4	1 July 2014	MF	Lee Cox	Plymouth Argyle	Released	[74]
5	1 July 2014	MF	Alex Ferguson	Chippenham Town	Released	[75]
6	1 July 2014	FW	Mark Francis	Frome Town	Released	[76]
7	1 July 2014	FW	Kayden Jackson	Tamworth	Released	[77]
8	1 July 2014	DF	Jay McEveley	Sheffield United	Released	[78]
9	1 July 2014	MF	Alan Navarro	Free Agent	Retired	[79]
10	1 July 2014	MF	Dany N'Guessan	Port Vale	Released	[6][80]
11	1 July 2014	DF	Aaron Oakley	Frome Town	Released	[81]
12	1 July 2014	DF	Alex Smith	Yeovil Town	Released	[6][82]
13	28 August 2014	MF	Tijane Reis	Free Agent	Mutual Consent	[83]
14	1 September 2014	MF	Louis Thompson	Norwich City	Undisclosed	[84]
15	7 January 2015	MF	Jake Reeves	AFC Wimbledon	Free	[85]
16	12 January 2015	MF	Ryan Harley	Exeter City	Free	[86]
17	12 January 2015	DF	Curtis Da Costa	Gosport Borough	Released	[87]
Players loaned in
No.	Date from	Pos.	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
1	23 July 2014	DF	Josh Lelan	Derby County	29 September 2014	[88][89]
2	7 August 2014	DF	Brad Smith	Liverpool	20 October 2014	[90][91]
3	8 August 2014	DF	Jordan Turnbull	Southampton	30 June 2015	[92]
4	1 September 2014	DF	Jack Stephens	Southampton	30 June 2015	[93][94]
5	1 September 2014	MF	Louis Thompson	Norwich City	May 2014	[84]
6	26 September 2014	DF	Amari'i Bell	Birmingham City	3 January 2014	[95]
7	20 October 2014	DF	Harry Toffolo	Norwich City	30 June 2015	[96][97]
8	3 January 2015	MF	John Swift	Chelsea	30 June 2015	[98]
9	21 March 2015	DF	Sam Ricketts	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30 June 2015	[99]
Players loaned out
No.	Date from	Pos.	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
1	10 July 2014	FW	Miles Storey	Portsmouth	31 May 2015	[100]
2	8 August 2014	DF	Curtis Da Costa	Wantage Town	8 September 2014	[101]
3	8 August 2014	DF	Matty Jones	Wantage Town	8 September 2014	[102]
4	16 August 2014	DF	Josue Antonio	Swindon Supermarine	16 September 2014	[103]
5	9 September 2014	DF	Matty Jones	Chippenham Town	2014	[104]
6	10 September 2014	MF	Harry Agombar	Hereford United	2014	[105]
7	23 September 2014	DF	Curtis Da Costa	Bognor Regis Town	2014	[106]
8	10 October 2014	FW	George Barker	Tranmere Rovers	3 November 2014	[107][108]
9	20 November 2014	MF	Ryan Harley	Exeter City	1 January 2015	[109]
10	9 January 2015	DF	Darren Ward	Crawley Town	30 June 2015	[110]
11	30 January 2015	FW	Miles Storey	Newport County	2 March 2015	[111]

Trial players

Player	Signed	Ref
Elikem Amenku	N	[112]
Calvin-Prince 'Kalinga' Abdillah	N	[113]
Cameron Belford	Y	[114]
Joel Chianese	N	[115]
Ibrahim Kargbo	N	[116]
Khalil Lambin	N	[117]
Matt Marshall	N	[118]
Anton Rodgers	Y	[119]
Devante Romeo	N	[118]
Aaron Sekhon	N	[118]
Jamie Sendles-White	N	[120]
Curtis Tilt	N	[118]
Jonathan Vandesompele	N	[117]

Work experience

Nat.	Player	Signed	Ref
	Jordan Turnbull	Y	Season loan[121]

Squad statistics

As of 25 May 2015

Appearances and goals

League One data includes Play-Off information

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		League One		FA Cup		League Cup		JP Trophy
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Wes Foderingham	50	0	47+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
2	DF		Nathan Thompson	43	0	38+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
3	DF		Nathan Byrne	49	4	45+0	4	1+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
4	MF		Massimo Luongo	40	6	36+1	6	1+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
5	DF		Jack Stephens (on loan from Southampton)	42	1	39+1	1	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
6	DF		Jordan Turnbull (on loan from Southampton)	52	1	47+0	1	1+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
7	MF		Ben Gladwin	41	11	31+6	10	0+1	0	2+0	0	0+1	1
8	MF		Yaser Kasim	41	3	31+7	2	1+0	0	2+0	1	0+0	0
9	FW		Michael Smith	47	18	35+8	15	0+1	0	2+0	2	0+1	1
10	FW		Andy Williams	53	22	28+20	21	1+0	0	1+1	0	2+0	1
14	MF		John Swift (on loan from Chelsea)	19	2	12+7	2	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
15	DF		Harry Toffolo (on loan from Norwich City)	30	1	23+6	1	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
16	FW		Connor Waldon	4	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	1+1	0
18	FW		George Barker	8	0	1+4	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+2	0
19	MF		Louis Thompson (on loan from Norwich City)	38	3	30+3	2	1+0	0	2+0	1	2+0	0
20	FW		Jonathan Obika	38	10	22+14	9	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	1
21	DF		Matty Jones	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
22	DF		Darren Ward (on loan at Crawley Town)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
23	DF		Jack Barthram	8	0	3+2	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	2+0	0
24	FW		Jermaine Hylton	13	1	3+10	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	GK		Tyrell Belford	4	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
26	MF		Anton Rodgers	13	2	7+4	2	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
27	DF		Josue Antonio	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	MF		Tom Smith	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	DF		Raphael Rossi Branco	33	3	26+4	3	0+1	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
30	MF		Harry Agombar	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
31	FW		Will Randall	4	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
32	MF		Lee Marshall	3	0	1+1	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
33	DF		Tom Holland	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
34	MF		Tom Ouldridge	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
35	GK		Connor Johns	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
36	DF		Sam Ricketts (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers)	12	1	10+2	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
37	GK		Cameron Belford	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
38	FW		Josh Cooke	2	0	1+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
39	DF		Ryan Wood	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW		Miles Storey	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
Players who were contracted to Swindon Town but have since departed on a permanent basis:
11	DF		Brad Smith (on loan from Liverpool)	10	0	7+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
12	DF		Amari'i Bell (on loan from Birmingham City)	11	0	7+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
14	MF		Jake Reeves	12	1	1+9	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
15	DF		Josh Lelan (on loan from Derby County)	5	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
17	MF		Ryan Harley	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
24	DF		Curtis Da Costa	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF		Tijane Reis	0	0	0+0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

Managerial stats

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
Name	Nat	From	To	P	W	D	L	F	A
Mark Cooper		Season Start	2015	54	26	11	17	91	81

Goalscorers

Name	League	League Cup	JP Trophy	Total
Andy Williams	21	0	1	22
Michael Smith	15	2	1	18
Ben Gladwin	10	0	1	11
Jonathan Obika	9	0	1	10
Massimo Luongo	6	0	0	6
Nathan Byrne	4	0	0	4
Louis Thompson	2	1	0	3
Yaser Kasim	2	1	0	3
Raphael Rossi Branco	3	0	0	3
Anton Rodgers	2	0	0	2
John Swift	2	0	0	1
Jermaine Hylton	1	0	0	1
Jake Reeves	1	0	0	1
Sam Ricketts	1	0	0	1
Jack Stephens	1	0	0	1
John Swift	1	0	0	1
Jordan Turnbull	1	0	0	1
Own Goals	1	0	0	1
Total	83	4	4	91

Clean sheets

Includes all competitive matches.

R	No.	Pos	Nat	Name	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	JP Trophy	Total
1	1	GK		Wes Foderingham	14	0	0	0	14
				TOTALS	14	0	0	0	14

Disciplinary

Name	League One		FA Cup		League Cup		JP Trophy		Total
Name
Yaser Kasim	11	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	13	0
Jordan Turnbull	10	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	11	0
Raphael Rossi Branco	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
Nathan Thompson	8	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	10	2
Nathan Byrne	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Massimo Luongo	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Jack Stephens	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
Louis Thompson	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	1
Harry Toffolo	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Michael Smith	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Wes Foderingham	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Ben Gladwin	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Jermaine Hylton	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Anton Rodgers	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
John Swift	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Andy Williams	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Jake Reeves	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Jack Barthram	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Jonathan Obika	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Sam Ricketts	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Tyrell Belford	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1
Total	81	4	0	0	6	1	3	0	90	5

Awards

Date	Player	Award
2014-15	Jordan Turnbull	Swindon Town Player of the Season
2014-15	Nathan Byrne	PFA League One Team of the Year
2014-15	Massimo Luongo	PFA League One Team of the Year

Overall summary

Summary

Games played	31 (26 League One, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 League Trophy)
Games won	18 (16 League One, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 League Trophy)
Games drawn	6 (6 League One, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 League Trophy)
Games lost	7 (4 League One, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 League Trophy)
Goals scored	60 (52 League One, 0 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 4 League Trophy)
Goals conceded	39 (25 League One, 5 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 4 League Trophy)
Goal difference	+10
Clean sheets	14 (14 League One, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 League Trophy)
Best result	5-2 (vs. Sheffield United)
Worst result	0-5 (vs. Cheltenham Town)
Most appearances	Andy Williams
Top scorer	Andy Williams
Points	54

Score overview

Opposition	Home score	Away score	Double
Barnsley	2–0	3–0	Yes
Bradford City	2–1	2–1	Yes
Bristol City	1–0	0–3	No
Chesterfield	3–1	3–0	Yes
Colchester United	2–2	1–1	No
Coventry City	1–1	3–0	No
Crawley Town	1–2	0–1	No
Crewe Alexandra	2–0	0–0	No
Doncaster Rovers	0–1	2–1	No
Fleetwood Town	1–0	2–2	No
Gillingham	0–3	2–2	No
Leyton Orient	2–2	2–1	No
Milton Keynes Dons	0–3	1–2	No
Notts County	3–0	3–0	Yes
Oldham Athletic	2–2	1–2	No
Peterborough United	1–0	2–1	Yes
Port Vale	1–0	1–0	Yes
Preston North End	1–0	0–3	No
Rochdale	2–3	4–2	No
Scunthorpe United	3–1	1–3	No
Sheffield United	5–2	0–2	No
Walsall	3–3	4–1	No
Yeovil Town	0–1	1–1	No

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
2	Milton Keynes Dons (P)	46	27	10	9	101	44	+57	91	Promotion to Football League Championship
3	Preston North End (O, P)	46	25	14	7	79	40	+39	89	Qualification for League One play-offs[lower-alpha 1]
4	Swindon Town	46	23	10	13	76	57	+19	79
5	Sheffield United	46	19	14	13	66	53	+13	71
6	Chesterfield	46	19	12	15	68	55	+13	69

Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2015. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(O) Play-off winner; (P) Promoted.
Notes:

Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League Championship.

Result summary

Inside the County Ground

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H
Result	W	L	D	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	D	L	D	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	D	W	W	L	W	L	L	L	W	D	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	D	L	D	D
Position	3	12	11	6	8	6	7	4	3	2	3	7	9	3	5	3	2	2	2	2	3	3	2	1	1	1	3	2	2	2	3	3	4	4	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Source: soccerbase.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

League One

The fixture list for the 2014/15 campaign will be announced on 18 June 2014.[122] It was confirmed that Swindon Town would start their 2014/15 campaign with a home fixture against Scunthorpe United.[123]

Win Draw Loss