In a series new to 2019, we revisit moments in history involving the Sydney Swans’ round-by-round opposition.

History, nostalgia and memories form a special part of what makes Australian rules football great, and we hope the Footy Flashbacks series reignites some of your fondest Swans moments.

In the latest edition, we wind back time to the day John Roberts secured a place in history shared by just four players today, kicking a winning goal after the siren on debut.

Those at Kardinia Park on the last Saturday of March in 1980 – two police horses patrolling the forward 50 included – were about to witness one of the rarest moments in the game’s history.

South Melbourne’s John Roberts marked the footy as the final siren reverberated throughout Geelong’s home venue, the Swans trailing the Cats by three points in the opening round of the season.

It wasn’t until many minutes later the athletic forward would take his shot at goal, so wild were Geelong’s supporters spilling onto the ground to distract him.

However, an ugly but successful set shot would not only clinch an eventual victory for the Swans, but a place in history for Roberts shared by just four players today.

What do Jimmy Gordon, Blair Campbell, Roberts and Alastair Clarkson have in common?

They are the only players in VFL/AFL history to have kicked a winning goal after the siren on debut.

A nugget of gold for the trivia buffs.

Roberts has fond memories of his match-winning moment.

Former South Melbourne-Sydney Swans captain Barry Round wrestles with a Carlton opponent during his illustrious 328-match career.

“I took the mark and then all the supporters were charging onto the ground. My teammates were trying to cordon the boundary off so I could have the kick for goal, and the police horses were on the ground as well, so it was a long time before I could take my kick,” Roberts told Swans Media.

“But anyway, I somehow kicked the goal. It was a wobbler but it got through. There were a lot of people on the ground, my teammates were trying to keep the supporters back and I was getting abused by all the Geelong fans. But the biggest thing I can remember from the day is the police horses coming onto the ground. I was just standing there saying, ‘What the hell?’

“I remember (South Melbourne coach) Ian Stewart saying to me after the game, ‘This is like two wins’, because Geelong were so hard to beat at Kardinia Park. These days everyone gets a hug for anything, but I think I actually scored a hug from the coach after kicking that goal.”

Roberts’ after-the-siren kick registered a 13.10 (88) to 12.13 (85) win for South Melbourne before a 22,685-strong crowd.

Gordon became the first man in history to slot a winning goal after the siren on debut in Round 16, 1913.

His last-gasp effort lifted Essendon to a two-point victory over University at the MCG and – just like that – an exclusive club was born.

A one-man club became a two-man club in Round 17, 1966, when Campbell’s heroics delivered Richmond a one-point win over South Melbourne at Lake Oval.

Roberts appeared in the history books 14 years later, and no one has done it since Clarkson became the fourth in Round 15, 1987.

The boy from Kaniva stole a two-point victory for North Melbourne over Melbourne at the MCG.

Roberts finds great pride in being one of so few players to have achieved the feat.

Former South Melbourne champion Graham Teasdale.

“I’m rapt. I feel very privileged that I’m one of the very few who have done it. It’s great to be in an exclusive club,” Roberts said.

“If my teammate hadn’t got the ball and kicked it to me up forward I wouldn’t have done it, but I was in the right place at the right time. Maybe it was meant to be – who knows! The footy gods were on my side. They were on that day – that’s for sure!”

Roberts had the privilege of calling greats of the game like Barry Round, Rick Quade and Graham Teasdale his teammates, and he joined them for unforgettable celebrations on the evening of his debut.

“We went into the change rooms and because we had such a bad track record at Kardinia Park everyone was just so happy. There was a lot of excitement, everyone was taking photos, we sang the song and we were all carrying on,” Roberts said.

“And then we went back to Melbourne, found a pub on Clarendon Street in South Melbourne, had dinner, drank too much and had a great time.”

Roberts booted 67 goals and 51 goals in 1980 and 1981 respectively to top the Swans’ goal-kicking in consecutive years, and he was named an All Australian in 1980.

But a combination of injury and form made for a patchy 1982 season, and he’d play his final VFL game in Round 15.

“You didn’t have the luxury if you were injured of hopping on the plane and heading up to Sydney,” Roberts said.

“If you were injured you didn’t go to Sydney and you stayed in Melbourne. We used to fly up every second Sunday for the game because we didn’t live in Sydney at that point, and then we’d usually fly home on Monday.

“The funny thing was we used to stay in a hotel in Kings Cross on the Sunday night, so we’d usually have an entertaining Sunday night, but because I was injured for most of the 1982 season I was often stuck back in Melbourne. I definitely felt a little bit left out and it was very frustrating.”

Almost 40 years on, Roberts is working as a firefighter at Beulah Park Metropolitan Fire Service in Adelaide.

Roberts and his wife Julie are the proud parents of three sons: 32-year-old Daniel, 29-year-old Matthew and 26-year-old Luke.

His sons play for the Hahndorf Lions in the Hills Football League and he loves watching them in action as often as possible.

The 62-year-old is still close friends with former Swans teammates Round and Max James, and he says he will forever cherish his time in red and white.

“It’s something no one can take away from me,” Roberts said.

“It was a wonderful experience, we had a great bunch of blokes and it was a great time.”