SWINDON TOWN: BILL POWER'S near death experience came as no real surprise as he'd been having nightmares about a plane crash for weeks.

Speaking exclusively to the Swindon Advertiser, he reflects for the first time how plummeting from the sky changed his outlook on life and how the response of Swindon Town fans helped convince him that he couldn't turn his back on them or their football club.

Power sustained appalling injuries in the crash on August 5. Mark Devlin, son Stan and Mike Sullivan were also seriously hurt on the flight back from Town's opening day victory at Hartlepool, and although he is making progress, is still in significant pain and well short of firing on all cylinders.

The man who made his fortune in the satellite communications industry, admits he is lucky to be alive and fully expected the impact to be his final call.

He said: "I suppose I now know what it is like the second before you die. I had no doubt whatsoever that I was going to die.

"And in those few seconds before we hit the ground, time certainly seemed to slow down.

"But it wasn't that old thing about your life flashing before your eyes.

"The odd thing is that building up to the crash I'd been having dreams, really vivid nightmares, about dying in a plane crash. And in those seconds before impact, one of the things I thought was you idiot. You knew this was going to happen'.

"The second thoughts were just lovely ones about my family and how much I was going to miss them."

Thankfully, Power lived to tell the tale and has thanked Town fans for their part in helping along the road back to health.

He said: "You're lying there in a hospital bed, your darkest hour if you like, and I would say the vast majority of get well cards and get well messages I received were from Swindon Town fans.

"These were from people who didn't know me and I'd only really been involved with their football club for five minutes.

"I know it might sound a bit cheesy but it was genuinely heart-warming and I felt I didn't want to let them down or turn my back on them. There is a job to be done there.

"What the crash did was totally change my outlook. Things that irritated and upset me before, no longer do so.

"I also think I'm a nicer, more understanding person and certainly more laid back.

"Physically, it is going to be a long time before I'm anywhere near where I want to be but I want to do something and to be involved with something."