Wes's unhappy Preston memories (From Swindon Advertiser)

SWINDON TOWN: Wes's unhappy Preston memories

6:00am Friday 22nd February 2013 in STFC News By Sam Morshead

Wes Foderingham leaves the field against Preston earlier this season

THE sight of Preston lining up in front of him is likely to bring a few unhappy memories back to the forefront of Wes Foderingham’s mind.

It was against North End, on a forgettable day in September, that the Swindon Town goalkeeper endured perhaps his most regrettable moment in a Robins shirt.

Twenty-two minutes had gone and Swindon were already two goals down when former Town boss Paolo Di Canio hauled the keeper off, replacing him with Leigh Bedwell.

Foderingham stormed down the touchline, kicking a water bottle and screaming at his manager, before changing and going to sit with the travelling fans during the second half.

Recounting the incident five months later, the 22-year-old said that the whole sorry episode has helped him grow as a professional.

“Like Paolo said it was a mad moment. I don’t think too many people would have reacted differently in the situation and the heat of the moment,” he said.

“I’m disappointed with my actions but I’ve put that behind me now and I’ve grown from that.

“I’m looking forward to the game on Saturday and hopefully putting in a good performance.

“I spoke to (Di Canio) the day after and I was a bit frosty and explained to him why I was angry and how I felt about the situation as well. He told me his reasons for taking me off and we shook hands and agreed to get on with it.”

Di Canio’s departure was met with surprise by the Town squad this week. Though the Italian had informed his players that he was not happy with life in Wiltshire, he had not suggested that he would go so far as to resign.

Foderingham admitted he only found out about his former boss’ decision to quit through the media, and he was disappointed to see the coaching staff - and in particular goalkeeping coach Domenico Doardo - leave.

“It was a bit of a shock at the start,” he said.

“He mentioned to us about a week ago that he was thinking of leaving and he said that there were a few problems with the board. He didn’t go into too much detail about it, he concentrated on the games.

“When the decision came up we heard about it off the Adver and Sky Sports News so it was a big shock to all of us.

“It’s been positive. You can see from the game the other night, getting a result at Tranmere, the boys are a tight group. We said that we needed to get a win for us and for the fans.

“Dom was fantastic while he was here. A few of the results were down to him and his attention to detail and I wish him all the best for the future. We left on good terms and we’ll still keep in contact if we can.”