I started writing down Swinton results, line-ups and scorers in about 1962 or 63 and during my school holidays in August 1964 I first went to the library at the Lancastrian Hall, Swinton to look up previous results etc in the Swinton Journal. My modest aim at the time was just to go back to 1960 when I had first visited Station Road. However, one thing led to another and, with encouragement from the late Tom Webb of the Rugby Leaguer, I decided to go further back in time and here I am 59 years later, still visiting the library (a few weeks ago I made what I intend to be my last visit to a library to check on the Lions history - because I believe that I have extracted all the information I can from the newspapers).
The actual statistics were completed about 1996 with the help of John Edwards, who had joined me in research in 1977. I bought a computer in 2001 and immediately of course started typing up the Swinton stats. This turned into a CD which I produced in 2015. One of the people who bought the CD was the great Steve Moyse who soon became a good friend. He started sending me photos and stories about the Lions and this prompted me to start accumulating photos, match reports, stories, programmes and various other items connected with the club from old newspapers (back at the library), other historians collections and various internet sites. So here we are. It has been a long road, long but interesting and enjoyable, and I have met some people along the way who have become friends because of a shared interest in the club and its history.
The history is not, however, complete as there are gaps such as the first six seasons where we do not have the full results. There are also team photos where we need the names of some players and there are some programmes missing. If anyone can help with any of these or other items please let me know and I will distribute the information to the other people interested in this history.
So, after 59 years, I feel that it has been well worthwhile and I hope that anyone reading this history feels the same. This will be my final history but I will continue to note the details of the current and future seasons and I hope that as many of you will do the same.
Les Smith
