Truncated 1939-40 season ticket Swindon vs ????

[Auchinleckian]

Recently acquired this item, a complimentary ticket for Swindon from the 1939-40 season. I have tried numerous sites to try and find out who the opponents are with no luck. Any idea, anyone please? It was Swindon's last game before league football was suspended for WW2.

[slightfold]

John,
I'm not sure whether Swindon even played on the 6th September 1939, which might be why you are having difficulty finding the info! The season started on 26/8 then with all League teams playing one match midweek before the final Saturday 2/9 which is why the tables stop at 3 games per club. Germany invaded Poland on 1st September recognised as the start of WW2. Interested in this item if you want to sell, PM me.

[slightfold]

When the League started properly for 1946/7 they used the same fixture list as the truncated season 1939/40. So if you can access the former it should tell you what team they would have been due to play.

[colchestersid]

Swindon's fixtures were in 1939

Sat 26 Aug Away to Northampton
Wed 30 Aug Home to Cardiff
Sat 2 Sep Home to Aldershot

As mentioned above the same pattern was followed in 1946 but Swindon's next game was a midweek away trip to Norwich. I suspect that means the reserves may have had a midweek home game scheduled on 6 Sept 1939

[Rocky]

colchestersid wrote:

Swindon's fixtures were in 1939 Sat 26 Aug Away to Northampton Wed 30 Aug Home to Cardiff Sat 2 Sep Home to Aldershot As mentioned above the same pattern was followed in 1946 but Swindon's next game was a midweek away trip to Norwich. I suspect that means the reserves may have had a midweek home game scheduled on 6 Sept 1939

I concur with Sid. Swindon were actually due to play Norwich away on 7th September, (unusually on a Thursday). On the 2nd Sept Swindon Reserves played a Southern League fixture at Aldershot so possibly they were due to play at home in midweek.

Edit: If anybody has a copy of the 39/40 Athletic News annual, the Southern League fixtures could be listed in there. They are listed in the 38/39 annual.
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[Auchinleckian]

Just a thought then.......I have the original envelope with this ticket, sent to a Mister R.T. Paggington at Haydon Wick, Swindon. Given that it also includes entry and dressing room could it possibly be a player's ticket for a game that should have been played at Norwich on September 6th but obviously never did?

[Rocky]

Auchinleckian wrote:

Just a thought then.......I have the original envelope with this ticket, sent to a Mister R.T. Paggington at Haydon Wick, Swindon. Given that it also includes entry and dressing room could it possibly be a player's ticket for a game that should have been played at Norwich on September 6th but obviously never did?

John, it would appear that the said R.T. Paggington was a referee




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[Auchinleckian]

He could not then officiate at any game involving Swindon then, so why would he have guest admittance to a dressing room. Unless perhaps it was a local cup tie or the like?

The regionalised 1939-40 leagues didn't start until October 21st, so there's a gap between the September 2nd Football League closing date. Does anyone know if any scratch games, anywhere in England took place in this interim period? If there wasn't anything until the new setup finalised - and it would be strange to have some kind of formal game played just 4 days after the shutdown, am erring towards it being a guest ticket issued to Mr Paggington for the Norwich game, which quite obviously never went ahead, which might explain why it still has it's original envelope, rather than having been used and possibly discarded?

[pastpirate]

Rovers played 5 friendlies between these dates. I would guess that most teams would have done the same.
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[Auchinleckian]

slightfold wrote:

When the League started properly for 1946/7 they used the same fixture list as the truncated season 1939/40. So if you can access the former it should tell you what team they would have been due to play.

I hadn't realised that.

Have joined the British Newspaper Archive for 3 months and am trying to find out details of any football in and around that date for Swidon but it's difficult, especially getting sidetracked by everything else to read!