Swindon Supermarine FC
Ground: Imagine Cruising Stadium
Capacity: 2,000
Club Founded: 1992
League: Southern League Division One South - Step 4/8th Tier (current level)
Swindon Supermarine FC may be one of non-league's newer clubs, but they have certainly made an impact on the pitch, with the team performing admirably, and visitors are given one of the warmest welcomes.
Club History
The Merger
Swindon Supermarine FC, based in the South Marston district of the town, was formed in 1992 after Supermarine FC and Swindon Athletic FC, who were struggling financially at the time, decided to merge.
Athletic, formed in 1968, who played their football in the Hellenic League, were previously known as Penhill FC until 1989. Supermarine were formed in 1946 as Vickers Armstrong, then just Vickers, and also played in the competition and were part of the sporting section of the engineering company, which also partook in cricket, rugby, archery, and bowls.
The New Club's Early Years
Athletic, formed in 1968, who played their football in the Hellenic League, were previously known as Penhill FC until 1989. Supermarine were formed in 1946 as Vickers Armstrong, then just Vickers, and also played in the competition and were part of the sporting section of the engineering company, which also partook in cricket, rugby, archery, and bowls.
The New Club's Early Years
The new club was placed in the Hellenic League Premier Division, which they won in 1997-98 under the leadership of John Fisher and Don Rogers. However, Marine were denied promotion because of grading issues at Supermarine Road. They were not denied in 2000-01 after another triumph, as they were accepted into the Southern League.
Managers came and went as the club adapted to the higher level before they purchased their Hunts Copse ground in the summer of 2005.
Gradual Progression, Promotion and Fans to the Rescue
Financial problems in the summer of 2010 revealed a £50,000 deficit owing to poor cup form and the withdrawal of major sponsors. A fan consortium was formed to solve the issue by introducing various initiatives.
Wednesday 15th August 2012
I had arrived in Swindon returning from a jaunt to Devon the day before, and a day of visiting new sports grounds. My plan was to go to that evening's FA Cup replay between Shrivenham and Kidlington. Rather than relaxing in the pub before catching the bus, I decided to take the chance to visit Supermarine as I didn't know when I'd get another.
I'd attempted to get inside Swindon Town's County Ground without any success, but had higher hopes of my next venture. The number seven bus dropped me at the end of Supermarine Road, near Honda's UK factory in a large business park, as I made use of an excellent vale day rider ticket.
Playoff Disappointments
The selling of the stadium naming rights to local company H J Webb & Son helped, with the ground being known as Webb's Wood Stadium from August 2010. Cuts in the playing budget led to resignations from the team management and eventual relegation at the end of the 2011-12 season, as Collier was replaced by existing players.
Dave Webb was appointed as team boss in the summer of 2012, taking the side to the playoffs a year later. The following season also ended in playoff disappointment, which was repeated in the 2015-15 semi-finals. The opening of the state-of-the-art indoor 'Swindome' helped attract players to the club.
Recent Years
Webb departed in January 2018 to be replaced by his assistant, Lee Spalding. Marine reached the playoffs once again, beating both Evesham United and then Wimborne Town on penalties to clinch promotion back to the top flight of the Southern League, where they were placed in Premier Division South after league reorganisation.
After some credible league finishes, Spalding was replaced by Stuart Fleetwood, a former forward with the club. His team consolidated their Premier Division status before they went down in 2024-24, leading to the appointment of Bobby Wilkinson as manager.
My visits
Wednesday 15th August 2012
I had arrived in Swindon returning from a jaunt to Devon the day before, and a day of visiting new sports grounds. My plan was to go to that evening's FA Cup replay between Shrivenham and Kidlington. Rather than relaxing in the pub before catching the bus, I decided to take the chance to visit Supermarine as I didn't know when I'd get another.
I'd attempted to get inside Swindon Town's County Ground without any success, but had higher hopes of my next venture. The number seven bus dropped me at the end of Supermarine Road, near Honda's UK factory in a large business park, as I made use of an excellent vale day rider ticket.
I thanked my host and walked back around to catch the bus back to Swindon bus station in readiness for my ride to the evening's entertainment.
Swindon Supermarine 0 Hendon 1
Southern League Premier Division South - Saturday 1st September 2018
Hendon continued their season in new surroundings, and as I had the day off work, I needed little persuasion to book on the Supporters Association coach down to Wiltshire.
Despite a good nap and an 11am departure, it was still a struggle to get organised. When I arrived at Silver Jubilee Park, the assembled crowd was watching a youth game at the well-utilised venue.
Our driver used his knowledge well, taking us off the M4’s heavy traffic and diverting via the south side of the Oxford Ring Road and down some A and B roads to our destination. The pleasant journey was spent listening to the intriguing Test between England and India, as others watched the first half of Leicester v Liverpool on their phones.
Admission was only £8, and a very decent programme cost another couple of quid. The club had been hit by a burglary earlier in the week, with three TVs being stolen from the impressive clubhouse. The locals and club volunteers came across as a friendly bunch, and the keg Hurricane Bitter was palatable enough.
The food counter offered a good choice at fair prices. All our party was impressed. A large indoor training area had been added behind the far goal since my previous visit. Another match in the Hellenic League was taking place at the nearby rugby club. We joked that it could have been an option if things were going badly at halftime.
Hendon’s following numbered around 50, as the momentum continued to gradually build around the club. The visitors were missing their big centre forward Marvin Morgan, and the general consensus was that it could be a difficult afternoon.
Therefore, we were most happy when the Dons went ahead after a confident start. The ball was played wide to Howie Hall, who whipped in a low cross. Gianni Crichlow, making his first start for the club, guided the ball past keeper Josh Hill and in off the far post after six minutes.
That, in truth, was the highlight of a poor match. Crichlow had a shot just wide, and Marine’s Joe Shepherd spurned some chances. Danny Boness looked in top form in the Hendon goal, with his central defenders, Guri Demuria and Romario Jonas, having fine games.
The game had the feel of a pre-season friendly in parts. We moved to the far end for the second half as some of the younger Dons supporters made full use of the refreshments on offer while they gave the team support.
We didn’t have a perfect view, but realised that Marine must have come close many times, as the ball went across the Hendon six-yard box at least half a dozen times without anyone getting a finish in.
The game had the feel of a pre-season friendly in parts. We moved to the far end for the second half as some of the younger Dons supporters made full use of the refreshments on offer while they gave the team support.
We didn’t have a perfect view, but realised that Marine must have come close many times, as the ball went across the Hendon six-yard box at least half a dozen times without anyone getting a finish in.
We knew the team was putting in a real shift and defending resolutely, but it was surely a matter of time before the equaliser. Ball retention was poor from the visitors, inviting further pressure. An occasional breakaway came as a welcome rest bite.
It wasn’t to be for the hosts. Not even the experienced Stuart Fleetwood could make it happen. The volume from the away fans increased in the last few minutes to try and get the lads over the line. It came as a huge relief when the ref blew for full-time.
Special mention must be made of referee Dale Wootton bringing play back for a foul after initially trying to play advantage. He had a good game, but the fact that I remembered the incident probably sums up the game's quality.
Hendon were slightly fortunate, but they gave 100%, and there would no doubt be occasions as the season progressed they’d play considerably better but end up being beaten. That’s football! The young ones were vocal on the bus for thirty minutes before becoming rather tired.
It was genuinely good to see them supporting their local club and see numbers grow each game. A decent run home had us back at SJP for just gone 7pm. In a sign of my age, I headed home after shopping rather than going to the pub for the remainder of the Saturday evening.
Oh, to have the youthful energy of some fellow Dons fans. It wasn't until I got home that I realised I was close to scooping the £400 jackpot in the Marine match prediction, as I'd got that weekend's Swindon Town and Manchester United results bang on. I'd done Hendon to win 3-1. If only!
Swindon Supermarine 2 Hendon 0
Southern League Premier Division South - Saturday 16th November 2019
👨👨👧👧 302
Lee Allinson, the recently appointed manager of Hendon, had got off to a promising start with the team. Several players seemed to have upped their game with the promise of new arrivals. It was quite an exciting time.
Fortunately, I had a helpful colleague taking me off work at Ruislip Manor after completing an early shift on the final day before my latest Thailand holiday and cricket trip. I was most grateful to Andy for coming in early so that I could get away.
Lee had been keeping a check on the morning pitch inspection, which got the all clear. He picked me up in a speedy vehicle around lunchtime, and we were on our way, via the Oxford ring road owing to closures on the M4 for the second season running.
We had a smashing chat about all things on the route. I really enjoyed his company, and the journey passed quickly. The team bus had even left an inadvertent space for us close to the entrance.
A decent following had decamped inside the homely clubhouse, where we joined in and enjoyed a couple of beers. The conversation was around the players' comings and goings, and what formation did the fans expect?
There was something really welcoming about being at Marine. Plenty of non-league set-ups offer far more than bigger venues, where you’re just another person, but the people in this part of Swindon seemed to have it sorted without going over the top. They were naturally nice people.
Supermarine were in fine form and sitting third in the table before kick-off. Despite that, I half expected a return from Hendon and even had a small punt on a 2-0 win. On reflection, I had probably been a tad too optimistic.
Tom Hamblin tried to lob host custodian Martin Horsell from a distance after five minutes. The ball appeared to be going wide, but it was pushed behind for a corner. James Guthrie went close for Marine before Isaac Galliford responded for the Dons.
Connor Calcutt and then Shaun Lucien on his return to Hendon colours both forced Horsell into saves before Marine took a grip of the game and went ahead on twenty-six minutes. Ryan Cam centred for Harry Williams to get off a powerful shot that was too much for debutante keeper Dante Baptiste.
We had joked pre-match about Hendon needing a clairvoyant such as Clinton Baptiste from Phoenix Nights to deal with the unpredictability of the defence. It wasn’t that far from the truth. The youngster from Watford wasn’t the worst, to be fair.
A Cam diving header went perilously close before the lead was extended just past the half-hour mark. Guthrie and the experienced Stewart Fleetwood created the opening for Williams to grab his second of the afternoon.
The hosts generally controlled proceedings without ever exerting themselves too far. Williams fired over just after the break, before he was denied by Baptiste. Manager Allinson made some changes to the personnel and tactics in an attempt to get something from the game.
Lucien did well to control a long ball and cut inside before firing narrowly over. Hendon continued to press, but the organised home defence was led by accomplished performances from Matthew Croupe and Matthew Liddiard, offering no way through.
The full-time score was probably about right. There was no cause for complaints from the visiting fans, but a fair bit of optimism. It would be interesting to see how the next couple of weeks would pan out while I enjoyed my time in the sun.
Despite the result, I’d had a good day at a most welcoming football club in excellent company.
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