1998–99 Swindon Town F.C. season
# 1998–99 Swindon Town F.C. season

During the 1998–99 English football season, Swindon Town F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

## Season summary

When the 1998–99 season kicked off, Swindon failed to win their first five games, scoring just three goals and the calls for McMahon's sacking began to be heard. Chairman Rikki Hunt and McMahon seemed united – McMahon saying he wouldn't resign, Hunt saying he wouldn't sack him. Two consecutive derby wins, against Bristol City and Oxford, only strengthened their position. This was followed by a 5–2 defeat at Portsmouth – and when Watford then won 4–1 at the County Ground, the fans held an on-pitch protest, sitting in the centre circle at the end of the match, demonstrating that both McMahon and Hunt should resign. McMahon left the club "by mutual consent". Jimmy Quinn was appointed as McMahon's replacement and managed to keep Swindon in the division with the club finishing the season in 17th place.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 12 | 20 | 14 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 56 |
| 16 | Stockport County | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 49 | 60 | −11 | 53 |
| 17 | Swindon Town | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 59 | 81 | −22 | 50 |
| 18 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 54 | 78 | −24 | 48 |
| 19 | Portsmouth | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 57 | 73 | −16 | 47 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Fulham (C, P) | 46 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 79 | 32 | +47 | 101 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Walsall (P) | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 87 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Manchester City (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 4 | Gillingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 80 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 5 | Preston North End | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 79 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 6 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 76 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 7 | Bournemouth | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 76 | |
| 8 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 69 | |
| 9 | Chesterfield | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 64 | |
| 10 | Millwall | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 52 | 59 | −7 | 62 | |
| 11 | Reading | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 61 | |
| 12 | Luton Town | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 58 | |
| 13 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 56 | |
| 14 | Blackpool | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 56 | |
| 15 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 55 | |
| 16 | Notts County | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 52 | 61 | −9 | 54 | |
| 17 | Wrexham | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 53 | |
| 18 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 52 | 70 | −18 | 52 | |
| 19 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 51 | |
| 20 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 48 | 66 | −18 | 51 | |
| 21 | York City (R) | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 56 | 80 | −24 | 50 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Northampton Town (R) | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 48 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 23 | Lincoln City (R) | 46 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 42 | 74 | −32 | 46 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 24 | Macclesfield Town (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 43 | 63 | −20 | 43 | Relegation to the Third Division |

## Results

Swindon Town's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 August 1998 | Sheffield United | A | 1–2 | 15,937 | Holdsworth (own goal) |
| 15 August 1998 | Sunderland | H | 1–1 | 10,207 | Onoura |
| 22 August 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 21,537 | |
| 29 August 1998 | Port Vale | H | 1–1 | 7,800 | Hall |
| 31 August 1998 | Bury | A | 0–3 | 4,513 | |
| 5 September 1998 | Bristol City | H | 3–2 | 8,537 | Walters, Ndah, Onoura |
| 9 September 1998 | Oxford United | H | 4–1 | 8,305 | Ndah (2), Onoura (2) |
| 12 September 1998 | Portsmouth | A | 2–5 | 10,105 | Onoura, Ndah |
| 19 September 1998 | Watford | H | 1–4 | 8,781 | Ndah |
| 25 September 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–0 | 5,501 | |
| 29 September 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 16,497 | Onoura |
| 3 October 1998 | Stockport County | H | 2–3 | 7,961 | Onoura, Walters |
| 9 October 1998 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–0 | 8,316 | Onoura, Walters, Bullock |
| 17 October 1998 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | 13,212 | |
| 20 October 1998 | Birmingham City | A | 1–1 | 19,485 | Gooden |
| 24 October 1998 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–2 | 8,967 | Hall, Walters |
| 31 October 1998 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–1 | 8,500 | Walters (2), Onoura |
| 7 November 1998 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 2–0 | 4,469 | Onoura (2) |
| 14 November 1998 | Bradford City | A | 0–3 | 14,897 | |
| 21 November 1998 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–0 | 11,718 | Walters, Ndah |
| 28 November 1998 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–1 | 8,657 | |
| 5 December 1998 | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | 9,262 | Walters |
| 12 December 1998 | Bradford City | H | 1–4 | 7,447 | Onoura |
| 19 December 1998 | Barnsley | A | 3–1 | 15,342 | Onoura (2), Hay |
| 26 December 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 11,627 | Onoura |
| 28 December 1998 | Bristol City | A | 1–3 | 16,257 | Ndah |
| 9 January 1999 | Sheffield United | H | 2–2 | 7,583 | Ndah, Onoura |
| 16 January 1999 | Port Vale | A | 1–0 | 5,405 | Ndah |
| 30 January 1999 | Bury | H | 1–1 | 7,797 | West (own goal) |
| 6 February 1999 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 41,304 | |
| 13 February 1999 | Oxford United | A | 0–2 | 8,179 | |
| 20 February 1999 | Portsmouth | H | 3–3 | 10,110 | Hay (2), Onoura |
| 26 February 1999 | Watford | A | 1–0 | 8,692 | Howe |
| 3 March 1999 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–3 | 5,726 | Ndah, Reeves |
| 6 March 1999 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–3 | 8,392 | Howe, Hay, Walters |
| 9 March 1999 | Stockport County | A | 1–2 | 6,098 | Walters |
| 13 March 1999 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–2 | 7,434 | Hay |
| 20 March 1999 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–4 | 11,184 | |
| 3 April 1999 | Ipswich Town | H | 0–6 | 10,337 | |
| 5 April 1999 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–1 | 11,719 | Howe, Hay |
| 10 April 1999 | Birmingham City | H | 0–1 | 8,896 | |
| 13 April 1999 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | 9,601 | Ndah |
| 17 April 1999 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–0 | 18,660 | Onoura |
| 24 April 1999 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | 7,197 | Onoura, Ndah |
| 1 May 1999 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 17,307 | Onoura |
| 9 May 1999 | Barnsley | H | 1–3 | 8,182 | Griffin |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R3 | 2 January 1999 | Barnsley | H | 0–0 | 8,016 | |
| R3R | 19 January 1999 | Barnsley | A | 1–3 | 10,510 | Walters |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R1 1st Leg | 12 August 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 2–1 | 4,682 | Reeves, Ndah |
| R1 2nd Leg | 18 August 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 0–2 (lost 2–3 on agg) | 2,478 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| - | GK | AUS | Frank Talia |
| - | DF | ENG | Brian Borrows |
| - | DF | ENG | Gareth Hall |
| - | DF | ENG | Mark Robinson |
| - | DF | ENG | Alan Reeves |
| - | MF | ENG | Ty Gooden |
| - | MF | ENG | Mark Walters |
| - | MF | SCO | Scott Leitch |
| - | MF | ENG | Bobby Howe |
| - | FW | SCO | Iffy Onoura |
| - | FW | ENG | George Ndah |
| - | FW | SCO | Chris Hay |
| - | DF | ENG | Sol Davis |
| - | MF | ENG | Darren Bullock |
| - | GK | ENG | Jimmy Glass |
| - | DF | ENG | Craig Taylor |
| - | DF | ENG | David Kerslake |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | DF | ENG | Adam Willis |
| - | MF | ENG | Kevin Watson |
| - | MF | ENG | Robin Hulbert |
| - | DF | ENG | Des Linton (on loan from Peterborough United) |
| - | FW | ENG | Shayne Bradley (on loan from Southampton) |
| - | DF | ENG | Gareth Davies |
| - | MF | FRA | Philippe Cuervo |
| - | FW | ENG | Steve Cowe |
| - | MF | SCO | Lee Collins |
| - | FW | ENG | Charlie Griffin |
| - | DF | ENG | Jimmy Williams |
| - | MF | ENG | Frazer McHugh |
| - | DF | ENG | Sam Campagna |
| - | MF | NIR | Paul McAreavey |
| - | GK | ENG | Steve Mildenhall |
| - | MF | ENG | Peter Holcroft |
| - | MF | ENG | Jamie Mills |

### Left club during the season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| - | FW | IRL | Neale Fenn (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) |
| - | MF | ENG | Darren Bullock (to Bury) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | DF | ENG | Phil King (to Brighton & Hove Albion) |
