Stat Attack: Swindon Town vs. Notts County

Notts County have met Swindon Town on 62 occasions, the first time being 103 years ago in the FA Cup. On that day in January 1911, the Robins beat the Magpies 2-0 at the County Ground.

Of the 62 clashes, 24 have been won by Notts, 26 by Swindon, and 12 have been drawn.

The last meeting between the two was in December last year, when the Robins won 3-0 at Meadow Lane, thanks to an Andy Williams brace and a strike from Massimo Luongo.

The club was founded in 1879 by Reverend William Baker Pitt. Yes, you read that right! Whilst curate of Christ Church, the high church of Swindon, Pitt formed Swindon Association Football Club to provide recreation for young men in his parish.

Swindon won the Southern League championship in 1910-11, earning themselves a Charity Shield clash with Football League champions Manchester United.

This, the highest-scoring Charity Shield game to date, was played on 25 September 1911 at Stamford Bridge with Manchester United winning 8–4!

Some of the proceeds of this game were later donated to the survivors of the Titanic.

During World War II, The War Department – the government body responsible for the supply of equipment to the armed forces in the UK – took over the County Ground in 1940, where for a while prisoners of war were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this, the club received compensation of £4,570 at war’s end.

Swindon Town were the first League club to use floodlights, having had them installed in 1951.

The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with a Rolex watch acting as its timekeeper –the clock on the Stratton Bank stand featuring its name was erected to celebrate promotion in 1963.

Swindon have spent one season in the top flight, in 1992-93, during which Glenn Hoddle managed them. Sadly, they didn't do too well, being relegated at the end of the season after conceding 100 goals.

The most notable silverware in the Robins’ possession is undoubtedly the League Cup, won in 1969 after beating Arsenal in the final at Wembley.

Royle Family and Two Pints Of Lager actor Ralf Little was rumoured to be on trial at Swindon back in 2002, though the funnyman later claimed that he was just training with the squad. Pint-sized jazz singer Jamie Cullum is also a fan of the Robins.

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Swindon look set to be without Louis Thompson for a few weeks after the midfielder suffered suspected shoulder ligament damage last weekend against Crewe.

He has returned to parent club Norwich City while he awaits a specialist's opinion on the injury.

Nathan Byrne should recover from a dead leg sustained in the midweek defeat to Gillingham.

Ben Gladwin is expected to be fit after a neck injury, while Jack Stephens and Anton Rodgers could return after suspension and injury respectively.

Notts have no new problems as they look to seal back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since October.

Leroy Lita could be handed his full debut after making his first appearance for the club as a substitute against Colchester United in midweek.

Shaun Derry can also call on Alan Smith, Will Hayhurst, Nicky Wroe, Sean Newton and Balint Bajner should he want to reshuffle his his starting XI.

Ronan Murray will miss the remainder of the season with a recurrence of a groin problem he suffered in training.