IS THERE any better way to secure a league title than with a 5-0 home win?
I think most fans at the County Ground on Saturday would have accepted a scrappy 1-0 victory if it meant being able to watch Paul Caddis lift that trophy, but to watch him do so on the back of such a dominant victory was as sweet as it can get.
The celebrations would have been just as loud and just as passionate whatever the result I am sure, but every fan, player, and member of staff had that extra spring in their step at the final whistle which was missing at Gillingham the previous weekend.
The celebrations following promotion at Priestfield took a while to get going and were slightly muted by the defeat on the day, and the belief that only half the job was done, but to complete that job in front of a near sell out home crowd was nothing short of perfect.
The sight of a manager jumping around and dancing with his players is not something you will see at every football club, with many bosses choosing to stand back and let his players take the limelight, but I don’t think anyone expected anything less from Paolo Di Canio as he showed off the raw emotions which have encapsulated a football club and a town over the last 12 months.
And so he should celebrate, as he deserves to following a hard season both on and off the pitch, while it was also lovely to see players celebrating with their loved ones, including Alan McCormack with his tiny two week old daughter.
It was also ‘lovely’ to see Simon Ferry dancing around in his pants.
It was fitting that a season which has yielded so many great victories should end with the biggest win of them all, in a game which really sums up the entirety of Town’s season.
Swindon were slow to get going in the first half as they were in August, but when they found their groove in the second half they were as unstoppable as they were during their run of 10 straight league wins in January and February, which catapulted Swindon to the top of the league.
It was also fitting that Matt Ritchie, the League Two Player of the Year, Team of the Year member, and now champion, should show the creativity which has sparked the side for most of the season to fire in a superb opening goal which kicked off the promotion party.
Paul Benson’s two goals highlighted exactly what he has brought to the side since arriving in January, while Alan Connell was in the right place at the right time once again to complete the scoring, as he has done so often when it matters.
The players and coaches now have a few well deserved days off, but will be back in on Wednesday to prepare for the final game of the season a Bradford, which now can be another day of celebration, rather than a nerve-racking finale.
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