Swindon Town might be plying their footballing trade in League Two, but some may remember the sole season they competed in the Premier League. We will have to rewind the clock 30 years to focus on that.
The date was the 31st of May 1993. Swindon Town had just taken a 3-0 lead against Leicester City at Wembley in the Division One playoff final. Robins fans felt the possibility of heartbreak creeping in as the Foxes scored a third goal and levelled the tie, but a penalty six minutes from the final whistle allowed them to regain the lead, and they ran out eventual 4-3 winners.
In the 1993/94 season, the Premier League was comprised of 22 teams as opposed to the makeup of 20 we are accustomed to today. Player-manager Glenn Hoddle left four days for Chelsea after he inspired Swindon Town to that victory at Wembley, and perhaps it harrowed the events that would unfold for the club during that season in the top flight.
Swindon Town Compared To Other Teams In History.
Derby County may be commonly regarded as the worst team to play in the Premier League after their season in 2007/08, recording just one win and picking up 11 points in that campaign. The only way you could argue this Swindon side was worse than that Rams side is for the defensive record they showed that season, as Swindon Town conceded 100 goals, more than any side has ever conceded in the Premier League. Ipswich Town follow Swindon in second with 93 conceded, while Derby lie in third with 89.
After relegation from the top flight, Swindon were relegated for a second consecutive time. The lowest point of the club’s existence came in 2006 when they were relegated to League Two. That unfortunate milestone marked another unwanted record for the Robins, as they became England’s first Premier League club to fall to the lowest Football League division.
The 93/94 season was anything but a positive start for the club. It took 17 games for the club to record a win, their first victory coming over Queens Park Rangers in November. A second win over QPR and victories over Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City and Southampton would leave them with five wins for the season that year. Heavy defeats to Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Liverpool and Arsenal would leave them bottom of the table, 13 points away from safety and falling straight back down with a miserable record and a goal difference of -53. Fortunately, they miss out on the top five of worst goal-difference records in the Premier League, one shy of Huddersfield Town’s record of -54 in the 2018/19 season.
Sheffield United Worse Than Swindon Town?
Swindon Town might not be the worst defensive Premier League time for much longer. It could be argued that the side closing in on that record is already worse, regardless of whether or not they reach that 100-goals conceded milestone. Sheffield United have been lamented by many for much of this season as one of the worst teams to have ever played in the Premier League.
The Blades have conceded 80 goals this campaign at the time of writing, and it looks like plenty more goals could be hitting the back of their net before the season is done. The side sitting at the bottom of the table has to play the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Brentford in their final eight games this season. The side has the worst defensive record in the league; there is no question about that. They currently average 2.67 goals conceded per game in the top flight. League leaders Arsenal have put 11 past the Blades without a response from the side, while Burnley, who sit above them, scored five past the Sheffield club.
The question remains of where they will finish in the record of worst goal difference. With a current tally of -52, they are not far off that record. The most recent estimation was that they would finish on a total of -70, but that is likely to have changed since then. They have picked up fewer wins than that Swindon Town side, having three wins to their name this campaign.
It will be a long end to the season for Blades fans. With the club’s relegation pretty much set in stone, many will most likely be looking at what is next for the side after one of the worst seasons we have ever seen from a side in the Premier League.