Balancing the books, regaining the town's trust, and that plane crash: Mark Devlin's Swindon story

Devlin is currently chief executive at Leyton Orient but, for two spells in the 2000s, he steered the good ship Swindon through choppy waters, battling financial limitations and the seemingly never-ending threat of administration – all while trying to put together a capable and entertaining team.

As has so often been the case since the turn of the millennium, Devlin-era Town was in a near constant state of crisis – be that existentially or of confidence.

The club floated between the curious, the worrying and the downright absurd. From Neil Ruddock’s shorts to Big Ron Manager and back again, its timeline was littered with personality clashes, conflicting information and power struggles – often played out in public for all to see.