Background
A Goalkeeper, Swindin was born in Campsall, Doncaster, Yorkshire.
A Goalkeeper, Swindin was born in Campsall, Doncaster, Yorkshire.
He played as an amateur for various local clubs, including Rotherham United, before turning professional in 1934 with Bradford City. He played 26 times for Bradford City, before being signed by Arsenal in 1936 for £4,000. He made his debut against Brentford on 3 September 1936, and played nineteen games in his first season.
To begin with, his time at Arsenal was characterised by nervous and erratic displays, and he was made to share the goalkeeping spot with Alex Wilson and Frank Boulton.
The Second World War interrupted his career somewhat, but Swindin continued to play through the war for Arsenal, whilst acting as a PT instructor for the Army. In 1945, he made a guest appearance for Southampton.
By the time first-class football had resumed after the war, he became Arsenal"s undisputed Number. 1, and stayed there for the next six seasons.
By now, he had put his erracticness behind him, and he was a commanding keeper who was especially known for his aerial ability and assured handling of crosses, as well as his strong physical resilience.
By 1952-1953, Swindin was beginning to show his age, and another talented keeper, the Welshman Jack Kelsey had taken his first-team place. Despite his excellent form for Arsenal, he was never capped by England at senior level, with Sir Walter Winterbottom preferring Frank Swift and Bert Williams between the sticks. In all, he played 297 first-class matches (not including wartime games) for the Gunners.
In the meantime, Swindin had returned to Arsenal in 1958 as manager, and his side initially started strongly, finishing third in 1958-1959.
However, the team soon flagged and spent the next three seasons in mid-table. He resigned in May 1962, and then became manager of Norwich City for five months, and then Cardiff City from late 1962 to 1964.
At Cardiff, he signed John Charles from Roma, but after a bright start Cardiff soon faded and he resigned after the club were relegated to the Second Division. After that, he had spells as manager of Kettering Town and Corby Town before leaving the game for good.
After retiring from football, Swindin first owned a garage in Corby, before emigrating to Spain, where he spent several years following his retirement before returning to his homeland.
In the later years of his life he suffered from Alzheimer"s disease. He died at Kettering in October 2005, aged 90 years.