first period of extra time was over; Arsenal failed to clear the corner and in the resulting goalmouth melée Rogers coolly controlled the loose ball and fired it from close range into the net. Arsenal responded by changing to all-out attack during the second period. However, Ure lost the ball in the Swindon half to Smart, and Arsenal were caught on the counter-attack by a long ball from Smart to Rogers, who receiving the ball midway between the halfway line and Arsenal's penalty area, ran unopposed all the way, rounded Wilson and sealed victory for Swindon in the 109th minute. Post-match Arsenal initially claimed that the heavy pitch and illnesses were a major contributing factor to the shock loss. "I'm not attempting to make any excuses because I thought Swindon were terrific on the day, but six of us had flu and it didn't help that the pitch was cut up so badly. I certainly don't think the game would have gone ahead today. I performed very strongly for the 90 minutes but then when it got to extra-time my legs just went completely." Frank McLintock However, in recent years some players have identified the game as the impetus for Arsenal's later successes in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup of 1970, their first European competition cup, and their first League and FA Cup double in 1971. "It's never going to remain the happiest day of my life but I will go to the grave telling people that what we achieved in the years following that League Cup defeat we owe to Swindon. There were certain players who dropped by the wayside, but those who were part of the abuse we got from the London press – who thought there was no way we could lose to a Third Division side – used it as a spur." Bob Wilson National newspapers reported the story the following day under headlines such as "The shame of Arsenal", for example: "Arsenal, slaves of their own system, methodical but utterly predictable, were finally unhinged by the individual brilliance and flair of the Swindon stars – the small town Cinderellas whom cynics expected to lose to the North London favourites by a bucketful of goals." "And there could have been a fourth to add to their goal total. A drive from Trollope was sailing into the Arsenal net when it struck the referee, and all Swindon got