It is 40 years since Swindon pulled off one of the greatest cup final upsets and Don Rogers, one of their heroes that day, is saddened that footballing fairytales are a thing of the past.
The Robins, then in the Third Division, beat top-flight Arsenal 3-1 in the League Cup at Wembley with a Roger Smart goal and an extra-time brace from Rogers.
"We beat the equivalent of three Premiership clubs and who's going to do that from League One today? It's an impossibility," Rogers told BBC Sport.
"You get the odd club from the lower divisions going well every five years or so, it happens, but it's too hard to go all the way. "
LEAGUE CUP FINAL - 15 MARCH 1969
Swindon 3-1 Arsenal (aet)
Goals: Roger Smart (35); Bobby Gould (86); Don Rogers (104 & 109) Arsenal team: Wilson; Storey, McNab, McLintock, Ure, Simpson (Graham, 71), Radford, Sammels, Court, Gould, Armstrong. Manager: Bertie Mee
Rogers concedes that Swindon, under the management of Danny Williams, had their fair share of good fortune during the cup run, particularly pinpointing the quarter-final trip to eventual Second Division champions Derby and the semi-final against Burnley.
"We got murdered at Derby but we came away with a 0-0 draw," Rogers reflected.
"They hit the post, the bar, people on the line. They did everything but score.
"But when we played them at the County Ground a shot of mine went straight in off Dave Mackay's back, looped over the keeper and we won 1-0.
"And in the semi-final when we played Burnley in the third game we were 2-1 down and the fella headed it in his own net.
"For us the final was just another game. That sounds daft, but we were doing well in the league and thought we could win the game.
"Nobody else did, but we thought we had a great chance."
Arsenal had lost in the final to Leeds the previous season and goalkeeper Bob Wilson and his side were optimistic they could make amends at Wembley 12 months on.
However, circumstance slowly ate at their confidence.
Eight of the team were struggling with flu and then they saw the state of the pitch, which had been left in atrocious condition by the Horse of the Year show.
"We tried like mad to get the game called off because of the flu and the pitch," said Wilson.
The otherwise excellent Peter Downsborough denied the Gunners time and again in the Swindon goal until he dropped the ball four minutes from time and Bobby Gould cancelled out Roger Smart's first-half opener.
But the salvation of a leveller was a two-edged sword for the Gunners.
"We were out on our feet after normal time. We were struggling and in extra time there was only one team in it," Wilson added.
"But I believe the defeat was the catalyst for what came in the next few years and we won the Double in 1971.
"No professional player likes the lows of football, but you have to accept it.
"To my dying day I'll have people reminding me of the Double, which is glory time. But there's always Don Rogers and Swindon Town."
Rogers struck twice in the extra 30 minutes to write himself into League Cup folklore and Swindon into the history books.
"For a small club like us to win something like that was massive," the striker said.
"For Arsenal it would have been another trophy. For Swindon it was the trophy and it's a big part of their history. It was a great day for the club and the fans."
Here, BBC Sport profiles the players that secured that famous win, with a verdict on each of his team-mates and manager from Rogers.
SWINDON'S CUP-WINNING TEAM
Manager - Danny Williams
A one-club man with Rotherham as a player, he came south after being sacked as Millers manager in 1965 and enjoyed a 60% winning record in his first spell at Swindon, a mark only bettered by Dennis Wise and Paul Sturrock. He was also at the helm between 1974 and 1978 before taking a role as 'General Manager' until 1985.
Williams, who left for Sheffield Wednesday later in 1969 and also managed Mansfield, now lives in Bournemouth and the 84-year-old claims the key to good attacking football was making the team work hard on their stamina and follow the example set by "good runners" like Stan Harland and Roger Smart in training.
The Rogers verdict: He made us train hard on a Thursday - nowadays they'd cringe at doing that before playing on a Saturday - but we were fit as fiddles. He helped by relaxing us and always gave us a laugh.
1 - Peter Downsborough
The pigeon fancier came to Swindon from Halifax in 1965 and this was his great moment. Man of the match with a performance opposite number Wilson described as "phenomenal", the only blemish was his mistake that gifted Gould a goal. After Williams left he fell out with manager Les Allen and transferred to Bradford in 1974 before quitting the game in 1978. He recently retired as a school caretaker.
The Rogers verdict:
It was a team effort - one man doesn't make a team and we were as one
Peter Downsborough
He was a quiet guy and played quite brilliantly. Peter was always a good shot-stopper and he had lots of shots that day so the game was right down his alley.
2 - Rod Thomas
The Welshman, who Wilson swears he heard singing in the tunnel before kick-off, came from Gloucester City for �500 in 1965 and is the club's most-capped international, winning 30 caps while at Swindon. He made a further 20 appearances for Wales after joining Derby in 1973 for �100,000, where he won the First Division title before winding down his career and retiring in 1982. Now a pundit.
The Rogers verdict: He was a very relaxed person so I don't doubt that he was singing before we went out. He was a very good player and as the youngest was helped along by everyone else originally.
3 - John Trollope
Father of Bristol Rovers first-team coach Paul, Trollope Snr is a Swindon legend. He played for the club from 1960 to 1981, running out in a total of 886 games, including 368 consecutive matches between 1962 and 1968. He had an unsuccessful stint as manager soon after retiring but has been involved at the County Ground on and off ever since and is presently coach of the Under-15s.
The Rogers verdict: One of the quiet ones, I see him more than anyone else these days and we were always close as players, rooming together for 10 years or so when he was clocking up his 2,000 appearances!
4 - Joe Butler
One of the club's Geordie contingent and one of Williams' first signings in the summer of 1965. The midfielder's career took off when he was converted from a right-back and played in what today is termed the "holding role". He made more than 350 appearances before leaving for Aldershot 11 years after he arrived, but returned to Swindon a few years later to become a taxi driver, which he is still doing today.
The Rogers verdict: He was always a bit of a character when he got going. On the pitch, although only little, he tackled his weight and saw more of the ball than anyone else.
5 - Frank Burrows
The Scot only came to Swindon at the start of the season from Scunthorpe in a �12,000 deal, replacing captain Mel Nurse in the team. Another to break the 350-game mark, after eight years on the books he took the first steps in a managerial career when he became Robins first-team coach. Later managed Portsmouth, Cardiff, Swansea, West Brom and Leicester and is now coaching in America.
The Rogers verdict: He was a typical old-fashioned centre-half who liked a tackle and was good at it too. Frank was also very good in the air and was a tough guy for strikers to deal with.
6 - Stan Harland
The captain of the team, Williams reportedly camped outside Carlisle to secure the services of the former Everton and Bradford player in 1966. Swindon was where he stayed the longest of any of his clubs, but when Dave Mackay arrived in 1971 his days were numbered. He moved to Birmingham City and later ran a supermarket in Yeovil before dying of a heart attack in 2001 at the age of 61.
The Rogers verdict: A really good signing who was incredibly strong and liked training. He had a wonderful left foot, and while Frank did all the heading and tackling, Stan would be behind him in the sweeper role.
7 - Don Heath
Before he moved his family to Swindon after signing for �7,000 in 1967, Heath faced a six-hour drive back to Stockton after games, arriving through the door at 11.30! Having been an apprentice at Middlesbrough, he moved to Norwich and after three seasons in Wiltshire joined Oldham after becoming a peripheral figure under new boss Fred Ford. Now retired and living back in Stockton.
The Rogers verdict:
The camaraderie was unbelievable and still is - we had so many jokers in the pack - and that's what made us a team
Don Heath
An up-and-down right-winger who worked very hard for the good of the team and he was quite a character off the pitch, getting around with Pete Noble and that crowd.
Roger Smart
The Swindonian had worked his way up through the ranks at the club and signed pro forms in May 1960. Smart scored the goal that confirmed promotion to the Second Division in 1963 and soon cemented his spot in the first team. Ran out more than 400 times over 13 years in the red and white before moving to Charlton, but returned to his home town to run the Plough Inn and retire.
The Rogers verdict: Mr Action Man. He ran everywhere. It was unbelievable and he was as fit as a fiddle. I see him occasionally these days and know he likes a walk, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was still running!
John Smith
The old man of the team at 30 and the one who made things tick in the middle of the park, the Londoner made the grade at West Ham, was part of Tottenham's Double-winning squad in 1961 and played for Coventry, Leyton Orient and Torquay before signing for Swindon in June 1968. He went to Walsall in 1971 where he was later manager. Smith was the first of the XI to pass away, dying in 1988 aged 49.
The Rogers verdict: Everyone else was from nowhere but he'd already done stuff in the game. That didn't stop him celebrating though. A quiet lad, he would have been having a drink at the back� and maybe a few more!
THAT WAS THE MONTH THAT...
London's Victoria Line was officially opened by the Queen
Concorde had a maiden test flight
Two Beatles got married; Paul McCartney to Linda Eastman and John Lennon to Yoko Ono
Former US President Dwight D Eisenhower died aged 78
Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem was born
Marvin Gaye secured his only British No 1 with 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'
The League Cup final programme cost two shillings (10p)
Willie Penman
A like-for-like replacement for Smith in midfield, he came on with 13 minutes remaining in normal time and had been primarily a squad player throughout the season making just 13 starts. The former Rangers and Newcastle midfielder came south in 1966 and after becoming frustrated by a lack of playing time moved to Walsall in 1970. He later managed Cheltenham Town and worked in the sports trade.
The Rogers verdict: One of the lads from Newcastle, he was good fun and like me went into the sports trade, a career move that left him amazed that a Scotsman should be selling cricket bats!
Peter Noble
Another to make the trek to Swindon from Newcastle, he signed for the club in January 1968 for �8,000 and stayed at the County Ground until 1973. His next stop was Burnley where, after signing for �40,000 he broke into the team out of position as a right-back in his first season before moving up into midfield. He opened a sports shop in the town after finishing his career with Blackpool in 1981.
The Rogers verdict: For a small fella he was great in the air. He scored a lot of goals with his head and that was down to good timing. A great lad and always good for a laugh. The practical joker, with Rod Thomas.
Don Rogers
Swindon snapped up local-lad Rogers ahead of Bristol City in 1961 and he was the team's top scorer from 1966 to 1969, notching 90 goals. After the League Cup win the club rebuffed interest from Liverpool by helping Rogers buy a sports shop he still runs. He left in 1972 but returned after spells at Crystal Palace and QPR for a second stint between 1975 and 1977, when he retired from the game. A stand is named after him at the County Ground.
The Rogers verdict: You dream about days like that and it doesn't get much better than I had it. 1-0 would have done me, but I was lucky enough to get two in extra-time and that's what everybody still talks about.
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