WOW! For clubs in the Football League, particularly in the lower tiers, that kind of season doesn’t come along all too often.

That’s part of the beauty of being a fan of teams whose flirtations with the Premier League are either consigned to distant history or belong in fanciful daydreams.

But when they do arrive, their very rarity makes them all that more special.

My first full season watching Swindon was as a bright-eyed, impressionable eight-year-old in 1995/96. Doom and gloom had swelled inside the club after two consecutive relegations, and third-tier football was hardly the prospect to get the town’s footballing folk salivating.

However, by the end of that campaign the County Ground boasted a full house to witness a drab goalless draw against Stockport.

What had happened in between? Well, precisely what has happened this season – only without the added continental flair.

Fifteen-odd years ago it was Digby, Taylor, Horlock, Allison and Finney; this time around it’s Foderingham, McCormack, Ferry, Connell and Benson. They may be separated by a generation, but the way in which they have sparked renewed verve and enthusiasm into Swindon Town is almost exactly the same.

The County Ground was not a happy place to be 12 months ago, riddled as it was by faction and friction.

Less than a year after reaching the League One play-off final, everyone associated with the club was facing the grim reality of life on the bottom rung of the ladder.

Through a mix of bravery and bravado, however, a smile is back at SN1. Big time.

That bravery was epitomised by interim chairman Jeremy Wray’s decision to appoint Paolo Di Canio as manager in May last year.

Derided by some as a foolish publicity stunt, condemned by others for political reasons, the appointment was as gutsy as the many narrow wins Di Canio’s team has since ground out.

The day after the Italian was officially unveiled as boss, the Advertiser carried an editorial calling for patience with Di Canio.

Remember kids, never judge a book by its cover.

Inevitably, that was necessary, as five defeats in six league games had the critics sharpening their blades with alarming and increasing vigour.

But, as in any walk of life, Di Canio needed time to adapt and breath and quickly he shrugged off many lingering naiveties – mostly in the transfer market – to assemble a squad of immense talent and outstanding professionalism.

While he may remain a fierce competitor, the pulverised dug-outs of several League Two grounds can now pay testament to that, Di Canio taught himself what it means to manage.

His style may appear incendiary, his tactics occasionally extreme, but how can you question a record of one home defeat all season, the best defensive line in the division and an attacking unit which can, at times, rip apart opposition for fun?

You can’t.

As a football fan you want to see three things from your side – commitment, quality and success.

On each front this team has delivered. And hasn’t it been great to watch?

In one season Swindon Town have won the title, beaten a Premier League side in the FA Cup and reached a Wembley final.

I can certainly tell you that if I was a bright-eyed, impressionable eight-year-old child today I would be falling in love with the club in an instant.

Swindon once again has a club to be proud of, to indulge itself in and to celebrate success with.

When Shaun Taylor held that strange, bird-shaped Division Two championship trophy aloft in May 1996… that was the moment I became hooked on the Robins.

A generation later, Paul Caddis may have just inspired another young fan in exactly the same way.

Now that is what you want from your local team.