ALL thoughts pre-match ahead of Swindon Town’s meeting at home to Port Vale on Saturday were about one thing – that unforgettable game at Wembley 50 years ago.

By stark contrast, most Town supporters will barely remember their team’s most recent match in a week’s time following a dour goalless draw.

As great and glorious as Swindon’s remarkable 1969 League Cup final victory over Arsenal was, this weekend’s League Two clash was a polar opposite and barely worth a footnote in any club history book.

Just 24 hours after the 50th anniversary of the greatest moment in the club’s history, members of that legendary team returned to the County Ground to be honoured once more.

Amongst them, of course, was two-goal Wembley hero Don Rogers.

How the current Swindon side could have done with a player of Rogers’ guile to unlock the Valiants and pick up a much-needed League Two victory.

In truth, the toughest opponent Town faced on the day was the strong gusting wind, which robbed both sides of the chance of producing much in the way of flowing football as the majority of promising forays forward at goal were soon quashed by possession drifting harmlessly out of play.

Although Town shaded proceedings, they never really looked like snatching a winning goal, with the point earned making it a return of just one from three games and further stalls their ever-fading hopes of a place in the League Two play-offs come the end of the season.

With nine games to go, Swindon are down in 13th in the table, seven points below the top seven.

At the end of the season 50 years ago, Town were celebrating a promotion to go alongside their unforgettable League Cup glory.

Richie Wellens’ current crop of players will have to produce a run of form befitting of their predecessors over the final furlong of the season if they are to enjoy a similar rise up the leagues.

Wellens made four changes to the Town team who started the previous 2-0 defeat at Stevenage last Tuesday night.

Knoyle Knoyle and Ali Koiki came in at right and left-back respectively, while there was also a double change in midfield as Canice Carroll and Danny Rose came into the side – the latter making his first appearance since February 9 after an injury lay-off.

Tom Broadbent, James Dunne, Toumani Diagouraga and Matt Taylor were the starters from Broadhall Way to drop out, with the latter missing out on a place in the matchday 18 altogether.

The Valiants made a positive start to the game and Luke Woolfenden got in a good challenge to deny Ricky Miller a clear sight at goal after he wriggled his way into the Town box in the fourth minute.

However, moments of genuine excitement were few and far between after that, with the blustery conditions causing havoc and sapping any quality from the game.

Town were the beneficiaries of having the elements at their backs in the first half, but they proved nigh-on impossible to capitalise on as rare moments of attacking promise were spurned all too cheaply.

Theo Robinson did look to use the wind to his advantage in the seventh minute when he let fly with a neat half-volley from 25 yards after spotting Vale keeper Scott Brown out of position, but the strike drifted well wide of goal.

The midway point of the first half had passed before the next sight of goal arrived, although it was far from clear-cut as Keshi Anderson saw a powerful drilled effort from just inside the box blocked behind for a corner by visiting captain Leon Legge.

Suggestions that Anderson’s chance may kick-start the game into life proved a false dawn, however, as supporters were then made to wait until stoppage time at the end of the first half for the next attacking opportunity of note, although it again did little to provide much in the way of enthusiasm within the terraces.

Kyle Bennett tried his luck with a 25-yard snap-shot after Robinson had done well to hold up a free-kick from deep from Town keeper Lawrence Vigouroux, but it never looked like troubling Brown in the Vale goal as the two sides headed back into the changing rooms with the stalemate intact.

Despite having to play into the wind after the break, Swindon were actually first to threaten with five minutes of the restart when Dion Conroy played an inch-perfect ball over the top for Robinson to chase, but his strike on the angle drifted harmlessly across the face of goal.

Town continued to be positive and after a Vale attack broke up in the Town half just before the hour mark, Carroll sent Kaiyne Woolery into space and he charged towards goal before letting fly from the edge of the box. Although the visitors’ net bulged, sadly, the ball crashed into the side-netting.

Shortly afterwards, Woolfenden found Bennett in a pocket of space midway inside the Vale half and after carrying the ball forwards a couple of yards, the Bristol Rovers loanee drilled a low strike narrowly wide.

Vigouroux was largely a spectator at the other end of the pitch, and although Vale did call him into action in the 70th minute, it was simply to bend down and pick up a tame miscued effort as Nathan Smith hopefully swung a leg at a high ball.

The home side did survive a scare shortly afterwards as two David Worrall corners in quick succession caused alarm in the box.

The first cannoned off a Town body and bounced narrowly wide at the back post, with the second requiring a low scrambled save from Vigoruoux to prevent a powerful Legge header from crossing the line.

Although Town were able to wrestle back control of the play, clear sights at goal remained at a premium over the closing stages and the contest meandered to a lacklustre conclusion with a winning goal for either side never looking likely to arrive.