THE widow of a Town fan who penned a poem about their famous Wembley cup win is hoping his words can inspire a Swindon victory this weekend.
Andi Jones wanted to share her husband Gary’s poem, which was co-written with his pal Adrian Humphries the day after the 1969 League Cup final victory over Arsenal, when she learned Town would be playing at the home of football again.
The 67-year-old kept the poem, entitled Swindon’s Finest Hour, before handing it on to her grandson Myles, nine, after Gary died of cancer aged 66 in 2010.
Andi said football fan Gary would have been among the 30,000 expected to travel to Wembley for this weekend’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final against Chesterfield.
The mother-of-three said: “He held on to this poem for all those years and no one outside the family has seen it.
“When he died 18 months ago I said to myself I would share it the next time Swindon go to Wembley – it’s quite inspirational and every time i read it I get choked up.
“Gary and his friend Adrian wrote it when they were at work on the Monday after the final – they were both 22 and worked as apprentices for British Rail then.
“He wasn’t a season ticket holder but he used to go all the time when he was younger. He would have been over the moon Swindon were at Wembley again and would have gone for certain.”
Andi said the onset of Gary’s cancer was aggressive and his death came as a shock to the family.
“His big love was fishing. He used to go out all day but in October 2010 he came home at lunchtime and said he didn’t feel well and went to bed,” said Andi, who was married to Gary for 46 years.
“A week later he died and everyone was so shocked.
“I think it’s appropriate to show people the poem now. He was a modest man but I think he’d be quite proud.”
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