Having hit 13 goals in three ties, Swindon reached the Fifth Round of the FA Youth Cup for the second time in three years, bringing Arsenal to the County Ground on 10 March 1964.

The Londoners included defender Peter Storey and centre-forward John Radford, who were both to face Town five years later at Wembley in the League Cup Final. And it was Radford who came close to giving his side the lead in the fourth minute, but home keeper Tony Hicks pulled off a fine save at full stretch to avoid an early setback.

Instead it was Arsenal who suffered a blow after only 15 minutes, when winger David Jenkins was carried off with a broken ankle. With substitutes still more than a year away it left the Highbury youngsters a man down.

Numbers could have been further depleted on either side just two minutes later when there was a clash of heads between Ray Pack and Town’s Dennis Peapell, who went off for five minutes to receive treatment.

Swindon were unable to press home their numerical advantage until five minutes after the interval when a shot from distance by wing-half Bernard Griffin dipped into the far corner beyond keeper John Black’s outstretched arm.

But 15 minutes from time they added a second. A Bryan Foscolo free-kick wide on the right found Don Rogers and the winger set up Barry Denton to fire home.

Town could now look forward to a two-legged semi-final meeting with Queens Park Rangers, but before March was out Rogers was named in a 16-man England squad to play in a UEFA Junior Tournament (now known as the European under-18 championship) in Holland. Rogers received a trophy after being voted the star player of the tournament – and capped it by scoring twice in a 4-0 victory over Spain in the Final in Amsterdam on April 5.

The Youth Cup semi-final first leg took place just three days later at Loftus Road, where Rogers came up against the goalkeeper who had played behind him in Holland, Peter Springett.

However, it was Hicks of Swindon who again took the plaudits in the opening 15 minutes, coming to his side’s rescue with no less than five saves as Rangers swarmed forward from the outset.

But they were halted in their tracks in the 19th when Peapell hammered a fierce shot towards goal that cannoned off the defensive wall. The ball fell to Rogers who, seeing Springett advancing off his line, calmly chipped the ball over his head and in under the bar.

Having weathered the early storm, Town went close again shortly before the break when Foscolo saw a 30-yard effort clutched high under the bar by the keeper. And seven minutes after the change of ends, they increased their lead.

Rogers hit a corner long to the far side of the area where Ricky Tabor headed back across goal. This time Springett misjudged the flight of the ball and it crept over the line to give Swindon a two-goal lead to take back to Wiltshire. - Paul Plowman