A GOOD INNINGS
Despite already possessing an
area allocated for football use,
when Swindon Town made the
move to the County Ground in
1895 they initially played on a
pitch laid out within the cricket
ground. Town's first competitive
game on the ground was a
Southern League game against
Ilford in October 1895.
Left: An OS map of the County
Ground in 1902. The main cricket
pavilion is at the top of the area
marked ‘Cricket Ground’. The smaller
pavilion is on the opposite side in
position between the cricket and
football pitches. Swindon Wharf, the
site of the club’s first-
first - ever game, can
be seen at the very bottom of the
map
After a single season sharing the cricket ground the football club moved to the area allo-
cated for football and polo on the south side of the County Ground. Utilising the existing
dual-aspect pavilion as dressing rooms on the north side of the football pitch they erected a
small stand alongside with the help of a £300 loan. The club struggled in the early years
and the ground wasn’t improved further until cash from a Cup run in 1908 allowed some
terracing to be laid and another three years before the north side cover was extended to
run the full length of one side. Despite the basic facilities on offer the club were accepted
into the Football League in 1920 but noticeable improvements had to wait until 1932
when a cover went up on the Shrivenham (formerly Stratton) Road side and over the Town
End, funded to the tune of £4,300 by the supporters club, in 1938. During the Second
World War the County Ground was taken over by the Government and wooden huts were
positioned on the pitch to house prisoners of war.
Below: Swindon Town take on Everton in the FA Cup at the County Ground in 1912/13. The covers
on the north side, by then extending the full length of the ground, can be seen in the background
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