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Reliving 95/96: Christmas Comes and McMahon Goes
TWENTY years on from Swindon Town’s title-winning season in Division Two, David Wallis tells the tale of that 1995/96 campaign week by week – every Friday on Total Sport. The tale continues with Christmas approaching and the playing career of a town icon coming to an end.
Two days before Christmas 1995 Swindon visited Walsall and, going into the game, Town were top while the home side were chasing a play-off place.
Saddlers’ keeper James Walker produced a stunning save four minutes from time after Jason Drysdale dispossessed Walsall’s Chris Marsh and swung over a precision cross.
The ball was met by Wayne Allison, but his volley was turned over the bar by the home side’s keeper to keep the score goalless.
On a soaking day with a soaking pitch, the Saddlers had more than deserved their point, and the ovation the home supporters at the Bescot gave their side at the end showed how much they valued gaining a point against their Wiltshire visitors.
Fraser Digby was in outstanding form and Town defenders Mark’s Robinson and Seagraves were both forced into physical challenges to preserve parity.
Ex-Town defender Adi Viveash put in the most eye-catching performance to claim the man of the match award, while Town player/manager Steve McMahon came closest to claiming the points for his side with a left footed drive that was parried by Walsall keeper Jimmy Walker.
Peter Thorne watched his late header denied by a defender from a Kevin Horlock corner, but a point each from the 0-0 draw was a fair outcome at the end of the day.
The result brought a distinctly un-festive twist for Town. With Crewe winning at Bristol Rovers, the Robins dropped to second in the table for the first time since the first Saturday of the season.
What wasn’t apparent as the afternoon drew to its close was that a playing career was reaching its conclusion. Steve McMahon was replaced by Ty Gooden just after the hour mark.
The boss started a couple more games over a year later, and would name himself on the bench a few times over the next eighteen months, but to all intents and purposes the ex-England midfielder had ceased to fulfil the player part of his player/manager job title.
Having made 17 appearances for England and managed the rare feat of making double digit appearance totals for both Everton and Liverpool, come the end of the season McMahon was to become only the second manager in Town’s history to lead the club to a league title.
Over 500 league appearances throughout his career, he would go on to manage Blackpool before disappearing down under to lead Perth Glory in Australia.
Today McMahon performs media duties for an Asia-based TV company.
Come Boxing Day almost 13,000 people would assemble at the County Ground to watch Town take on Wycombe Wanderers and witness another 0-0 draw.
The game would be Town’s last in the League for more than a fortnight as the winter weather took its toll on the fixture list, but ultimately there is one unanswered question.
Why is it that Town don’t get attendances like that anymore?
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