WITH the kick-off in Brazil just hours away, swindontownfc.co.uk profiles the first Town player to represent his country at a FIFA World Cup whilst still at SN1.
Alan McLoughlin was signed from Manchester United in 1986.
Although his period with the club stretched only to December 1990 he made a big impact playing 135 games and scoring 24 goals from a midfield position. Earning a regular starting spot under Lou Macari in the 1989-90 Season he became the penetrative top point of Ossie Ardiles midfield diamond, scoring no fewer than 12 goals during the League season and capping the year in the Play-Off Final when his shot from outside the box produced the only goal of the match with Sunderland and earned Town a brief promotion to the top flight.
Pushed back into the second tier by the Football League the following season saw him sold to Southampton for a club record fee of a million pounds in a move which improved the club’s bank balance but reduced the side’s capability to such an extent that they only just avoided relegation.
His appearances as a substitute for the Republic of Ireland against Egypt and England at the 1990 World Cup in Italy made him the first Swindon player to appear in a World Cup. He went on to win 42 caps.
