Great Swindon Town debuts: Sixteen years old and the world at his feet - the day Paul Rideout introduced himself
INTERVIEW: At 16, Rideout was thrown into first-team training, and just weeks later he became Town’s youngest player, when he was named in the starting XI for the Division Three meeting with Hull City in late November.
06.08.24, 14:01 Updated 05.06.25, 20:05 12 Minute Read
Sam Morshead
Back in 1980, it did not take Paul Rideout long to get to work.
In fact, the route from the Swindon Town apprentices’ shared accommodation on County Road to the stadium doors was little more than a five-minute walk.
Rideout, just out of school, was living the dream.
Having turned down Southampton’s advances, he had settled on Town because of the positive energy and general friendliness he encountered in Wiltshire.
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