Town legend Fraser Digby made his debut for the club 30 years ago today and he sat down with swindontownfc.co.uk to reflect on that game and his time with the club in general…
“I always remember that we won 2-0 but I couldn’t tell you who played in the Rotherham team and I couldn’t even remember too many of the lads, but once you start reading the names off you just think how good a team we had then.
“I came down from Manchester United, Lou Macari brought me in and Kenny Allen had got himself injured in the Southampton game so he was struggling. I came straight into the first-team on a Saturday afternoon against Rotherham and, I’ve got to be honest with you, I can’t remember much about the game, just the fact that I kept a clean sheet!
“When I arrived we were seventh or eighth from the bottom and then we started to pick up some points and got ourselves into the play-offs.
“For me personally it was probably one of the highlights of my career. I left Manchester United, I was playing reserve football for them but Gary Walsh was coming through at United and I got the opportunity to play in the first-team at Swindon and I took it.
“It turned out to be an incredible season. We climbed the league, we made the play-offs, had a good couple of games against Wigan in the semis and then we got Gillingham in the final.
“We lost 1-0 away at Gillingham, came home, we got one goal back, they got a goal and I always remember to this day Charlie Henry hitting an unbelievable 35-yarder which flew into the top corner and took us to the third game at Selhurst Park, which we obviously won and got promoted.
“So, for me, it was a fantastic season and it culminated in me winning my first England U21 cap and it rounded off a fantastic year for me.”
Digby also looked back on the Town team from his debut with players in the ilk of Colin Calderwood, Chris Kamara and Chris Ramsey just some of the household names to have shared a pitch with the goalkeeper 30 years ago today.
“I had Colin Calderwood and Tim Parkin at the back, Chris Ramsey, Chris Kamara in midfield, Dave Bamber upfront and Jimmy Gilligan who played at a higher level, so there were some really good names and it was a good team,” Digby added.
“It was a great team to be involved in. There were some real good lads and they had won the Fourth Division Championship the year before with a record amount of points, so I couldn’t have wished for a better start.”
Digby went on to rack up 505 games for Town and the former stopper regards his time at the club as the “biggest part of his life.”
“I came as a 19-year-old, I left twelve years later and Swindon Town was the biggest part of my life,” he continued.
“We had some great times here. I sit in the restaurant now and I look back on my career at the club and I could not have wished for a better career.
“I look back on it now and I certainly don’t regret anything.”
Finally, Digby is enjoying following the fortunes of current Town keepers, Lawrence Vigouroux and Will Henry and has backed the duo to enjoy long and successful careers.
“Will has grown up in Swindon and he has come through and it would be fantastic for him to do what I did.
“They are in the early stages of their career and Lawrence obviously did the same as me. He’s come to Swindon from Liverpool and he’s on the first rung of the ladder but he’s making a name for himself.
“I always look out for the keepers because we are a bit of a funny breed – goalkeeper’s union and all that!
“I hope they go on to bigger and better things and the club goes the same way.”
LOOK OUT FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH FRASER DIGBY IN TONIGHT'S EDITION OF R&W WHICH IS ON SALE IN THE CLUB SHOP NOW!