Swindon Town

Malpas in talks with Swindon duo
Swindon Town boss Maurice Malpas has opened talks with striker Lee Peacock and defender Miguel Comminges to extend their current deals at the club. Both players are out of contract in the summer and Malpas is keen to secure their services for next season. "Miguel Comminges and Lee Peacock are two players I have opened talks with," confirmed ex-Motherwell boss Malpas. "Their deals are up in the summer and they are two players who we would like to keep here for an extended stay." Striker Peacock arrived from Sheffield Wednesday in 2006 while Guadeloupe defender Comminges joined in 2007 from Reims.

Malpas not surprised by finishing
Swindon manager Maurice Malpas has praised his players for carrying their training ground finishing form into Tuesday's 3-2 win over Huddersfield. "It's been missing on match day but we see it in training," Malpas told SSB. "I'm never surprised with the quality of finishing. Well, maybe I was with Craig Easton scoring. "But the quality of crosses we get, we see that in training, we see the finishing at training," he added.

Malpas hails free-scoring Swindon
Swindon Town manager Maurice Malpas has praised his team for finally starting to convert their chances into goals with a 6-0 demolition of Port Vale. "It was great to sit back and watch a team play as opposed to being anxious," Malpas told SSB. "A lot of credit to the players because I've been here for three months and the players have worked hard. "Now we've turned the corner in terms of scoring goals - the frustrating part is I wish it had happened weeks ago."

Ticket deal acid test for Swindon
Swindon director Jeremy Wray says there is a lot resting on how many fans take advantage of their season ticket deal. The Robins will reduce prices to 1993 levels if 6,000 fans sign up for the idea, and ticket holders will get other benefits including a free retro shirt. "Nothing would give me more pleasure than to have to print 6,000 shirts commemorating the 1969 victory," Wray told SSB. "This is a real test of how far we can potentially take this club," he added. "Having fans walking round in those in Swindon all the time would be the mark that we're really getting somewhere."

Malpas values experienced players
Swindon boss Maurice Malpas would like to add some more experienced players to his squad before next season. The average age of the current senior side is around 24-years-old and the Robins are continuing to target young, up-and-coming players. But Malpas told BBC Radio Swindon he also wants to add some older heads. "You see a lot of older players at clubs. They're sometimes not the best players, but their mentality and experience make the team better." He added: "That's something that we've to try and improve on during the season." Swindon are still waiting to hear from a Championship club about an offer made for one of their defenders. The club are staying tight-lipped about their target, but the player in question is understood to be Wolves left-back Charlie Mulgrew. Southend are also interested in signing the 22-year-old who spent part of last season on loan at Roots Hall. Malpas is wary of transfer deals where more than one club is trying to attract a player. "My concern is, not just on this one but in every deal, that you get used as a bit of a pawn and end up getting kicked out, because somebody is always prepared to pay a couple of extra pounds," he said. "Hopefully, though, we can get this deal done quickly."

Swindon consider move for Hills
Swindon have targeted former Blackpool full-back John Hills after opting not to sign Ghanaian defender Akwasi Oduro who failed to impress on trial. Manager Maurice Malpas will invite Hills to train with the squad if he's recovered from an ankle problem. He told Radio Swindon: "If he's fit enough to do ball work and take some part in games he'll come next week. If not we'll look elsewhere. "I've spoken to a few and there are one or two other irons in the fire." Ghanaian Oduro played an hour of the club's 2-1 defeat to FC Zlin, but will not be offered a contract at the County Ground. "He looks a steady player but he's not any better than we've got," Malpas added. "The way he plays and the way we play in England, he'd struggle." As well as adding a left-back to the squad, Malpas is keen to sign a right-sided midfielder, but says it is unlikely he will have anyone on board before Swindon play FA Cup winners Portsmouth on Friday. "It would be nice to get a couple of guys in, I know the fans are looking for that. "I need to push on now and demand an answer here or there. "I've got a lot of work to do before the weekend, and I doubt we'll have anyone in before Friday's game." Meanwhile, former Swindon target Charlie Mulgrew has signed for Aberdeen from Wolves. Swindon agreed a fee with the Championship side for the 22-year-old earlier this month, but Mulgrew turned down the chance to join them.

Malpas eyes Bristol City's Betsy
Swindon Town boss Maurice Malpas has confirmed he is trying to sign out-of-favour Bristol City winger Kevin Betsy. The 30-year-old is available on a free transfer but Malpas says the move may depend on Betsy agreeing a pay off from the Ashton Gate side. Malpas told BBC Radio Swindon: "If he gets what he's looking for, we've tried to accommodate him as best we can within our wage structure. "Hopefully something can be decided in the next couple of days." Malpas added: "We've done a little bit of wheeling and dealing and we've spoken to him about certain things. "He wanted to come and see the stadium and the team play. Hopefully he's quite happy. "I know there's another couple of teams in for him so let's not say that two and two makes four just now." Malpas also revealed a deal for defender Kasali Yinka Casal will have to be completed in the next 24 hours or he will pull out of negotiations. Swindon have agreed a fee with his Dutch club Cambuur but the two sides are yet to agree on the structure of when the money will be paid.

Malpas maintains faith in Smith
Swindon goalkeeper Phil Smith will retain his place in the team against Stockport, despite his blunder gifting Leeds their second goal on Saturday. The 28-year-old dropped a regulation save into the net in the 3-1 defeat. With fellow keeper Peter Brezovan injured, manager Maurice Malpas told BBC Radio Swindon that Smith will play. "OK he had the biggest howler you could get for a goalkeeper, but I think it would be a bit unfair if I threw him back in the stands," he said. "He was excellent at MK Dons, he was excellent against Aldershot and he was unlucky with the goal at Hereford and had a good game there." Defender Jamie Vincent could face an extended spell on the sidelines though. The veteran full-back managed just 60 minutes of the reserves' game at Forest Green Rovers this week, before his knee injury flared up again. Vincent will see another specialist in an attempt to get to the bottom of the problem which has kept him out of action since pre-season.

Do your talking on pitch - Malpas
Swindon Town manager Maurice Malpas wants his players to stop talking about whether or not they believe in him. Some of the squad have made public their support since the Robins' fifth straight home defeat at the weekend. But Malpas has told Wiltshire that he wants the players to be doing their talking not in the local media but on the pitch. "I don't want the players coming out saying they've got belief in me. I just want the players to play," he said. "Forget about belief in me. That's just a cop-out for them. It's about belief in themselves. "I'm sure if I told them to jump off a bridge they would say 'no'. "I can't tell them what pass to pick. I give them a base to play, and keep them fit. "I believe I motivate them properly, so I don't need them to come out and say they have confidence in me. I just need them to go out and play." Swindon, who have slipped to 19th in League One, head for ninth-placed Southend this Saturday.

Swindon stadium move is unlikely
Swindon chairman Andrew Fitton has admitted that a move away from the County Ground is looking unlikely. In the past the club has unsuccessfully explored the possibility of relocating to a new home ground on the outskirts of the town. Fitton told BBC Wiltshire: "No decision has been made about whether to re-develop the County Ground or move to a completely new site. "But it seems the first option is the preferred one." He added: "There is a camp that says let improve what's on the County Ground and stay here. "There's a growing number of people in that camp, and I can't tell you definitely, but I sense the council would be in there too."

Malpas hits out at postponement
Swindon Town boss Maurice Malpas was left disappointed after his side's League One game at Walsall was postponed only an hour before kick-off. Referee Carl Boyeson called off Tuesday night's fixture after snow fell in the Midlands during the afternoon. Malpas told Radio Swindon he felt Walsall officials could have made a greater effort to clear the pitch. "I'm disappointed more wasn't done. The pitch underneath was fine, it could have been scraped off." Malpas was angry that stewards had not attempted to prepare the playing surface. "If it's been snowing since two or three o'clock you would have thought they would have tried to do something. The referee made his mind up because of the safety of the players and there's nothing we can do about that." Many Swindon supporters had made the journey and the boss felt sorry for them, especially as there had not been any warning from Walsall about the conditions. "The fans are the ones that suffer again. It's cost them money and it's really disappointing for them." Swindon had won their previous two games and Malpas was hoping to make it three in a row. "We were looking forward to playing. We were desperate to play but the decision is out of our hands."

Swindon's Cox wins monthly award
Swindon striker Simon Cox has been named as the League One player of the month for October by the Professional Footballers' Association. Cox beat Fabian Delph and Jermaine Beckford, both of Leeds, and Brighton's Glenn Murray to win the award. The 21-year-old has scored 14 goals this season and netted a treble on Saturday against Scunthorpe United. Cox joined Swindon from local rivals Reading and signed a permanent deal with the club in January.

Malpas 'embarrassed' by Cup exit
Swindon boss Maurice Malpas says his men must stand up and be counted after their embarrassing 1-0 FA Cup first round defeat by non-league Histon. "The Cup is something I thought we'd get a run in," Malpas told Radio Swindon. "I'm embarrassed about the result. We weren't good enough. "I'll accept defeat. I'll accept the criticism. But I want the players to stand up and be counted. "I'm sure they're ashamed to be a part of this Swindon Town just now." Malpas added: "If it was any performance at all, we would have won the game. "Results are the things that change people's opinions. Results are the things that change an atmosphere about a club. "It's a results-driven business. And we got what we deserved."

Swindon part company with Malpas
Swindon Town have parted company with manager Maurice Malpas by mutual consent following a disappointing start to the season. Malpas' departure follows meetings with chairman Andrew Fitton on Thursday in the wake of the team's exit from the FA Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy. That double disappointment came on top of their poor league form, which has seen them win just four of 14 games. Assistant manager Dave Byrne has been placed in caretaker charge. Former Scotland international full-back Malpas only took over at the County Ground in January following Paul Sturrock's return to Plymouth Argyle. But he has struggled for results, with the final straw being the club's departure from the FA Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy to Blue Square Premier side Histon and League One rivals Brighton respectively in the past week. The Swindon board placed a high importance on progression in the cup competitions, and the team's early exit from all of them is likely to cause a few financial headaches at the County Ground. It leaves Swindon searching for their sixth full-time manager in just over three years, with Iffy Onuora, Dennis Wise, Sturrock and Malpas all having spells in charge since Andy King left the club in September 2005.

Swindon draw up manager shortlist
Swindon have drawn up a shortlist of up to seven candidates to become the new manager. Chairman Andrew Fitton has not revealed any of the names involved but says a couple would surprise supporters. The likes of Ian Holloway, John Ward, Iain Dowie and Aidy Boothroyd are all thought to be in the frame to take over from ex-boss Maurice Malpas. Fitton did reveal former Swindon coach Gus Poyet has not applied, although he would consider him if he did. The club say they have received more than fifty applications since Malpas left the club on Friday. Interviews are due to continue well into next week, but with Dave Byrne in caretaker charge of the first team Fitton says he does not feel any pressure to make a quick appointment. Byrne is likely to remain in charge for Swindon's forthcoming matches against Bristol Rovers and Peterborough.

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