Swindon Town Must Rue £340k Transfer Mistake With Four Others

Big transfer fees feel like a foreign proposition at the County Ground these days, with Swindon Town operating on a modest budget at the moment.

It is far too early to judge any of the transfer business conducted by Ian Holloway in the winter window, but enough time has certainly passed to look at some of the biggest flops in Swindon history.

Jason Drysdale – Hyped-up left-back produced little of note for Swindon Town

Swindon have yet to break the £1million mark when signing a player, but that does not mean the club have not seen money wasted on signings.

Drysdale’s introduction to the Swindon fans didn’t help him settle in Wiltshire.

After selling one of the few shining lights of their dismal Premier League season in Jan Fjørtoft for £1.3million, manager Steve McMahon claimed that the signing of left-back Drysdale for £340,000 would soften the blow.

As you would expect, that did not prove to be the case. Without their star striker, the goals dried up, with Drysdale unable to help much from left-back. The defender also offered little help at the back, with Swindon suffering a second successive relegation.

Across a three-year stint, Drysdale would make just 42 league appearances for the Robins.

To make matters worse, the club were not able to recoup any of the large fee paid for him, as he left on a free to Northampton Town in 1998.

Lawrie Sanchez – Wimbledon cult hero endured short stint at Swindon

Signed back in Swindon’s only Premier League season, Sanchez arrived at the tailend of a strong career with Wimbledon.

A member of the infamous ‘Crazy Gang’, Sanchez was a cult hero for the Dons thanks to his winning goal in the 1988 FA Cup final.

However, Sanchez’s impact in Wiltshire was minimal. The midfielder played just eight times before departing to become player-manager of Irish club Sligo Rovers.

The Robins would go on to concede 100 goals in 42 games, tasting relegation after finishing bottom with 30 points.

Adrian Bakalli – Belgian suffered Ali Dia-esque cameo for Swindon

There have been some horrendous debuts in footballing history. Jonathan Woodgate, who had an otherwise solid career, is remembered by football fans for his calamitous start for Real Madrid – scoring an own-goal and getting sent off.

Swindon’s equivalent is Adrain Bakalli, a Belgian-born midfielder who joined on a short-term deal after leaving Watford.

Chucked into the backline against Stoke City in 2001, Bakalli was hauled off at half-time with Swindon 4-0 down and a booking to his name.

Bakalli was not given a chance to redeem himself, with the Robins releasing the Belgian shortly afterwards.

David Prutton – Highly coveted midfielder failed to live up to Swindon fans’ expectations

When David Prutton arrived on a free transfer at the County Ground, fans were impressed with the midfielder’s pedigree.

One thing the Robins faithful was certainly not impressed with was Prutton’s propensity for earning silly red cards.

In just his fourth game Prutton allowed Swindon’s capitulation from a winning position to get the better of him, with a frustrated tackle against MK Dons earning him a second yellow.

Finding his starting place under threat following his return from suspension, Prutton found himself back on the sidelines sooner rather than later.

Five games after his first red card, Prutton was sent down the tunnel again.

The midfielder had scored for Swindon against Plymouth Argyle, but minutes after his side had taken the lead Prutton flew into a needless challenge that produced his second caution.

Prutton eventually returned to the starting line-up following a managerial change, but the former Southampton man could not prevent relegation to League 2.

Despite talking about wanting to help Swindon back into the third tier, Prutton left to join Sheffield Wednesday at the end of his first season for a minimal fee.

Elliot Benyon – The striker that failed to replace Charlie Austin

Replacing the goals of Charlie Austin was a tough ask for any striker, but it appeared Benyon was well suited to the task when he arrived from Torquay United in January 2011 for an undisclosed fee reportedly in the region of five figures.

It appeared Benyon was up to the challenge when he scored on his debut against Rochdale – but that would be as good as it got.

The striker failed to score in his remaining league fixtures as a Robin, seeing Swindon relegated to League Two at the end of the 2010/11 season.

Benyon was immediately shipped out on loan to Wycombe Wanderers in the summer, before being sold to Southend United in January 2012.