Looks like Eric's off

The Eric Sabin fanclub that sits near me in the Nationwide is going to be horrified. From this piece on the official site, it looks like Eric Sabin won't be at the County Ground next year.

The Frenchman, as we know, was offered a one-year deal on reduced terms from this year. Today, King says the player needed to be playing every week on the wages he was taking - and his strikerate simply isn't good enough. "Eric has indicated to me that he won't take the new contract," King is quoted as saying. "I need to find two strikers for next season".

To that end, King confirms he's been taking a look at Junior Agogo, although bagging the former Sheffield Wednesday player will require some kind of fee, as he is not yet 24.

Big changes to the league for next season

Lots of detail here from the Beeb on the proposed changes to the Football League, announced earlier this week. The measures that got the most attention were to do with clubs going into administration: had the new rules been introduced four years ago, Town could well now have been expelled from the league, as that's the new punishment for any club that goes into administration twice in the space of three years or less. Needless to say, Mark Devlin tells the Adver he doesn't think that's a good idea.

Town's finances appear to be more stable now, and new wage caps (60% of turnover, introduced for third division teams next season, for us and the first division the season after) should help ensure the days of mad wages for players are now over. The rule will create a direct link between the amounts supporters (not board members) spend on the team, which is bound to make the game a little more fair. Towns will get something closer to the team their supporters deserve, you'd hope.

But here's another thing that could boost the finances of Swindon, and many other sides: the extension of the play-offs from four to six teams. That means the final play-off place goes to the team in eighth place - and this year that's only seven points off where we are today. Instead of the pretty gentle glide into the end of the season, Town could have been pushing for a play-off place this year - and that's bound to get the crowds up, even if we don't make it.

Of course, we'll all be hoping that we'll be gunning for a little higher than that. We might not be looking at automatic promotion, but it's worth noting teams in third and fourth get to sit out the first round of the new one-game-only play-offs, and get home advantage in the second round. What's for sure is all this is bound to get the interest levels, and crowd levels, up for a lot of sides.

Plymouth No 2 slams his players

Here's an interesting insight into how at least one opposition manager wanted his side to play against Town. Plymouth assistant manager Kevin Summerfield has been sounding off about his players "forgetting" their instructions on Wednesday night. "We had a gameplan, we knew they had big centre-backs, yet we forgot what we had talked about and threw high balls at them," he moans to the BBC.

Do two Juniors make a senior?

The Barnet site says Andy King has been down to Underhill to run the rule over Junior Agogo, the former Sheffield Wednesday and QPR striker who has bagged 19 goals for the London side in the Conference this season. Could he be the replacement for the departing Danny Invincibile?

Swindon Town 2 Plymouth 0

OK. So you could have sat at home in front of the telly, and watched an amazing game packed with skill and seven goals - for nothing. Or you could have headed out to the County Ground and caught some meaningless second division fare - for £21, if you hadn't already bought your ticket.

But I chose the second option, along with a little more than 5,000 others and - for those of us wearing red, at least - we were pretty well rewarded. The skills on show were maybe not of the order of Ronaldo, Figo and Beckham, perhaps, but there was still plenty to savour on a warm spring evening.

Town made a few changes: young Ian Herring started his second match in a week, while Craig Farr was in goal. Andy Gurney and Eric Sabin were both suspended: Matty Hewlett took the captain's armband.

And it was Town who made all the early running, creating a succession of good chances which just wouldn't go in. The first - a header from Stefani Miglioranzi - came inside the first five minutes, and the Town midfielder was unlucky to see his effort slam off the underside of the bar, bounce out a yard and get cleared. After that, blame some hysterically poor finishing, and an outstanding save from Larrieu in the Plymouth goal, to keep the score level.

The breakthrough didn't come a corner kick in the 37th minute. Danny Invincibile rose from a ruck of players to apply his head to Alan Reeves knockback, and his header looped into the net. Only moments later Sam Parkin had a decent chance to put Town two up before the interval, but his effort went wide, and the old pattern of misses and bad luck continued.

Parkin's goal was to arrive midway through the second half, however. It came during a period when things had quietened down for Town, oddly enough, but Town's top scorer took his chance well. Invincibile - who worked hard and had an excellent overall game - slipped the ball through for his onrushing strike partner, who got the faintest of touches to get it past Larrieu.

Plymouth had their chances to get back into the match - not least a powerful Lowndes strike which Farr did well to dive backwards and deflect over for a corner - but did not do too much to trouble Town. Herring had an excellent first half, although he quietened down in the second period before being substituted, and must surely have done enough to get a new deal for next season.

The rest of the team looked solid, with Danny up front and Migs in midfield catching the eye. And the win lifts Town to 10th place with the possibility - albeit faint - of nicking 9th place from Plymouth if we win both remaining games, and they lose theirs. Not bad work for an evening that maybe lacked glamour, but had plenty of entertainment value nonetheless.

Looking forward to tonight's big game

It's not going to have the nail-biting excitement and jaw-dropping skill of the game we all know is the really big match tonight, but I still think I'm going to set the video for Man U versus Real Madrid. Then it'll be up the road to the theatre of dreams and Swindon v Plymouth.

It might look like a mid-table, end of season clash with nothing at stake, but it should still prove worth going along. Not least, there's the prospect of seeing young Ian "Spud" Herring in action at the County Ground: he got quite a buzz going among the fans on Monday during our fantastic 1-0 win up at Crewe. Another strong performance would surely see King change his mind, and keep the player on for another season. After all, we're not exactly strong on cover for the right wing-back position - and by the looks of things, this lad could suddenly be pushing hard for a more regular starting place.

It's a shame the game is being played on a Wednesday night against - yes, we admit - a fairly important Champions League match on ITV. You'd hope real fans would turn out to watch some live action, but this is not going to be the last time (nor is it the first) that the Town board will discover televised fare is more attractive to many occasional fans than shelling out £21 to come to the County Ground.

Why was the game moved to Wednesday night? My understanding is that, because of the history of trouble between the two clubs, a large number of police were going to be required. It was going to cost the club a fortune to get that size of force on a bank holiday, so the game was rearranged. A far smaller gate might still be cheaper than hiring the extra plods.

What the hell happened there?

So there I was, playing "Let's score like Miglioranzi", and practising my driven wonder-shots deep in the labyrinth that is Swindonlog Towers, when a stray one hurtles off, takes a messy ricochet off the hamster on its unique power-generating wheel, deflects to accidentally knock the gigabit internet line out the wall, and then the Log's flamin' Mitre Delta (circa 1989) only goes and embeds itself in the side of the mighty Swindonlog server, smoke and flames everywhere. Honestly, it was like something out of Blakes Seven.

Ahem. No, I don't know why the Log went offline either (in case you hadn't guessed). Something to do with this lot I'd imagine. Still, all's well that ends well.

King's first signing of the summer?

The official site says Andy King is looking to bring Bolton Wanderers youngster Michael Eckersley to the club. He wants to see the 19-year-old midfielder in training for a week, with a view to a permanent deal if he does OK. King describes him as a "Steve Robinson type" player - small, plenty of pace, who can pass the ball.

Eric - I want to stay

Eric Sabin tells the BBC today that he really wants to stay at the County Ground, despite the ongoing delay in his signing a new contract. A few watching his woeful display last week, and looking at his poor scoring record in all the time he's been here, might be tempted to feel surprised he's not signed up straight away. But it's probably not a bad thing he's going to be around next season. His pace does cause defenses terrible trouble, even if we then rely on someone else converting the chances - and penalties - thrown up.

Hot Rockin' Robin

In easily the most important story to emerge from the County Ground in years, Rockin' Robin has today told the Adver he intends to change his pre match dance routine. Having been mightily impressed with the new Lynx ads on TV, he's planning to unveil a new dance in time for the Luton match at the end of the season.

It's worth clicking on the link above, just for the picture of our hero Robin quite blatantly staring down the top of one of his assistants. But I'm trusting that this break with tradition is just a one-off, and that he'll be returning to the superbly random routine, done to the Jackson 5, for the start of next season.

Hire the physio to the stars

Interesting news from the crappy official website (registration may be required). You might stand no chance of making the Town team, you might even be struggling to make the second XI of your local pub side, but you can at least get some professional help for your sporting injuries. For Dick Mackey is now hiring his services out, in what is a pretty astute piece of marketing by the club. As the close season approaches, I presume things must get quiet in the physio room, especially now Neil Ruddock's gone. So now you can get treated by the same healing hands that have rehabilitated the likes of Eric Sabin and Bobby Howe - don't let that put you off - and help both the club and your grumbling hamstring or (God forbid) problematic groin.

Swindon Town 0 Huddersfield Town 1

Well, I was right to have some worries about the visit of Huddersfield. Not that it gives me any pleasure to say so, but from early on in this game you got the impression that Huddersfield were up for it. And, even if they looked just as bad as us - maybe even worse - for long patches of the game, they did manage an excellent goal late on to take all three points. If either team deserved anything from the game, it was Huddersfield.

Swindon had poor performances all over the pitch. There were some standouts: Eric Sabin, hoping for a better contract, could well have floundered his way into having any offer withdrawn, such was the pisspoor standard of his performance. Danny, after a bright start out of position on the left wing, did nothing to make us regret his imminent departure.

On the positive side, I thought Daren Dykes improved from a shaky start to look OK as the game went on. It was just a shame he hobbled off midway through the second half. Having just belted a shot off the crossbar, you sensed he could have done a little more to help cement another year's deal had he been able to play on. And Steve Robinson did a lot to make amends for his poor showings earlier this season by looking like one of the few players who gived a toss about what was happening.

Of the rest, Jon Ritson's match report covers everything in enough detail not to have to recount the horrors of the game again: suffice to say that some nice weather, and the fact we should be safe from relegation, kept the atmosphere in the stands reasonably sunny.

But even the, by the end a few of us were wondering if the remainder of the season could be pointless, in more ways than one: meaningless, yes, but also without a point as a face a few of the better sides in the division. It's hard to see us getting any change from Crewe, Plymouth or Oldham if we play like we did on Saturday, and that only leaves Luton on the last day of the season to encourage us to fill in those season ticket forms.

Is there much meaning to tomorrow?

With Town safe, you'd have to think tomorrow's game against Huddersfield at the County Ground might even see the visitors as favourites. That impression is strengthened when you look at the players who will not be appearing tomorrow: Alan Reeves got kicked by Malcolm Crosby in training, and has some kind of infected wound, while Andy Gurney's out with a bug and David Duke has a sore back.

But, as the Adver reports today, there are a few things to spice proceedings up, and offer a good reason to turn up. First, Mel Machin makes a return to the County Ground. You'll recall he was being lined up last year to work alongside Andy King but, for whatever reason, never got appointed - despite it seeming a done deal at the time. It might have had something to do with Andy King refusing to work with Machin. There is, it seems, no love lost between the two.

Those chaotic days seem a million years ago now, but Andy King certainly hasn't forgot what happened: he's planning to give Machin the cold shoulder at tomorrow's match. Kingy should maybe be big about it - he is, after all, still managing the side. And he's not looking at third division football next season, unlike his counterpart at Huddersfield.

Or is he? Huddersfield might last week have thumped Chesterfield 4-0 to keep their hopes alive, but it seems if the drop doesn't condemn them, then their financial situation will.

Indeed, they're in such a bad way, they make Swindon Town's finances look like Manchester United's. They even had to rely on sponsors to donate the money for the players to travel down here today, and stay overnight ahead of the game.

Those are the players who put the side into administration at the end of last month, with many of them not having been paid properly in four months. Not only that, but their debts could be double the £8 million being quoted at the time - former owner Barry Ruberry is now said to be owed £9 million on top of the old debt. They now have little more than four weeks to find a saviour.

But I get the feeling all this could actually act as a spur for our visitors tomorrow. Let's hope the Reds are as up for it, or King could end up with the unhappy sight of Machin strolling down the County Ground tunnel with a smile on his face at full time.

Ticket prices released

The club has announced its ticket pricing for next season. Full price Arkells/Nationwide season tickets are only lowered by little more than a tenner - £410 to £399 - although there are deep discounts which most fans will, I imagine, take advantage of. Existing season ticket holders will be kept sweet by an "early bird" £330 renewal price, while new season tickets will go for £360 during the same period, which runs until the end of May.

Thanks to what the club is calling "popular demand", there's also a Town End season ticket on sale for £247 (early bird). But what appears to be missing is the shift season ticket, a cheaper season ticket which has been around for some time and offers the chance to those fans who can't make every home game (especially midweek games) to buy a seat for 18 home games a season.

Many fans will be disappointed by the club's decision not to lower on-the-day ticket prices, which means that many people simply will not be tempted along to try the club out. Matchday tickets remain £21, or £19 if bought in advance. In today's Adver Mark Devlin says this is down to the lack of a response from fans when the club lowered prices earlier this season.

While the lower season ticket prices are encouraging, and it's good to see the club banking on a pessimistic 4,800 break-even figure, I think some kind of deep discount scheme was needed for match day tickets - or even groups of match day tickets - to encourage "lapsed" fans back to the ground. Charging £21 to get in on the day will simply not do that - here's hoping Devlin has something up his sleeve, to announce before the new season gets underway.

Danny for... Aberdeen?

Have to say I laughed, and then laughed a little more, when I saw the story linking Danny Invincibile with Aberdeen. It wasn't just the line in Jon Ritson's report - "Told of their interest, sun-loving Invincible asked where Aberdeen was" but the fact that Swindon is a tropical paradise compared to that grey, cold, miserable city.

For a player that once famously remarked that he played better "with the sun on his back" I can guarantee that (like many players before him) he faces three or four years of terrible form in the frozen north. Mind you, assuming he could get a big enough supply of thermals, hats and gloves, I'm sure Danny would add plenty to the current Aberdeen side. The Dons might be one of Scotland's biggest clubs, but they have never managed to reach the heights of the 80s and early 90s, when the club won championships, was a name in Europe and, even latterly, ran the Old Firm close for cups and leagues.

It's the red 'n' white one

The official site (registration may be required) announces the result of the poll: it's the red top with white bits down the side that wins. The black and gold striped effort has already been chosen as the new away strip. So: both very nice, and on show - they hope - for the last home game of the season, against Luton. Releasing the top, not just before Christmas but actually at the same time as most other clubs - at the end of the season - would be a rare bit of commercial savvy...

Who's in and who's out

The official site (registration required), crap as it is, does get a proper, interesting story today: a list of who's coming, who's going, and who's currently still spinning in the County Ground revolving door.

To save you having to go over there and deal with all the crappy login thingies, pleas to place a bet or ads for some premium serivce, here are the details.

Out, for sure
Danny Invincibile: We learned at the fans forum back in early February that Andy King thought the Aussie striker would be heading for pastures new this summer. Today the news has been confirmed, after he rejected a new offer from the club. The offer was for less than he was on during his current contract, but would have made him top earner at the club. "I am very sad to have lost his services," Andy King tells the official site. "I have nothing but good wishes for him". I'm sure many fans will be disappointed to see him go, myself included. We can all remember that goal he got at the County Ground, in the last home game of the 2000-01 season, which helped keep us up. But his sporadic form since makes me feel the club is right not to burst the bank to hang on to him - even if he was willing to stay, which I don't think he was.

Adam Willis: No surprise to see the big centre half headed for the exit after he appeared to fall out with Andy King mid-season. But, in some ways, I'm more sorry to see him go than Danny: I rated him as a good, solid, mobile centre half with a decent tackle, and he was very unlucky indeed to lose his place in the side to Alan Reeves. Reeves went on to have a fantastic season, of course, while Willis got injured, but I'd have liked to see him stay on for at least another year. Reeves, after all, is getting no younger. But King said today Willis was "one of the bigger earners" and he couldn't keep on players that wouldn't be in contention for the first team. "I think that to improve next season, and by that I mean play-offs, then we have to improve our playing squad," says King.

Gareth Edds: No big surprise here either - at least, not for anyone who witnessed Edds' performance against Oxford in the Cup last year. The biggest mystery is that Edds had such a dramatic loss of form: he looked safe enough early in the season, and he went on to play for his country in an under-21 championship, in central midfield. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

Nathan Edwards & Kevin Halliday: Both touted as the next big thing last summer, but they failed to make the grade. "They never showed me enough to make me think about starting them which is a shame," said King.

Maybes
Eric Sabin: He's been offered a deal, but there's the suggestion he's not happy about the money being offered. A decision is expected by the end of the week. Given his pretty hapless form in front of goal, you'd think it would be an easy choice for him to take the contract and keep practicing the shooting, but things are not that straightforward: there were rumours of interest from QPR (!) just before the transfer deadline. Could Eric's head be turned by the bright lights of London?

Steve Robinson: He's been offered another year on, again, less money than he enjoyed previously. King thinks if he takes up the offer we've got a "very good player" on a "lot less" than he was on when he arrived at the County Ground.

Daren Dykes and Craig Farr: Two young players who have the remainder of this season to earn another deal. In Dykes' case, it seems to have been agreed that next season would be the big test, but King appears concerned he's not made the progress required to really push for a first-team place. The pressure's also on Farr to show he can be more than just adequate backup for Bart Gremink - King wants him to really push for a starting place. We'll likely see a lot more of these players in the remaining games as King makes up his mind.

Staying
Alan Reeves: Alan Reeves gets rewarded for a fine season at the back, in which he's just got better and better, with another year's deal. Reeves thinks he's got another season in him in the first team: King's not so sure, saying if the side wants to move forward he needs "more progressive" young players in the side. So Reeves has been offered a combined playing/coaching role, perhaps coaching the reserves to give him a first step on the backroom ladder. Anyone who's seen his effort on the training pitch, as I have, will know that's a smart move by King - plenty of younger players could learn from his application, if not his ball distribution...

Matty Heywood: With Willis out, and Reeves perhaps ready for more of a backroom role, it's a relief we're keeping at least one of our established centre-halves. Heywood's contract is now with Mark Devlin - the indication is it's just formalities to be sorted out before he re-signs. "You'd be hard pushed to find a better defender in the division," is King's view.

Stefani Miglioranzi: Finally, after a season of month-to-month deals, Migs looks set to get a permanent deal as reward for his sterling efforts this term. King seems satisfied he's playing without fear, and training hard - his previous injuries don't seem to be too much of a concern now.

With that sorted out, then, it's a question of who King signs in the close season. We should expect five or six new faces - and I'd like to see them scattered through the side. A fast central defender, a tough-tackling midfielder, and another striker would all be on my shopping list, if you can find such rare beasts with a budget that amounts to a couple of quid and the promise of a Kebab downtown tonight. Plus, perhaps, another left-sided player - we looked a much better side when we had someone decent down that side...