TOWN FLIER: Extend Nathan Thompson's contract - now (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

TOWN FLIER is the weekly fans' blog on all matters at Swindon Town FC

8:05am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in Sport By Town Flier

FORGET the transfer embargo at Swindon Town. New chairman Jed McCrory needs to lock young right back Nathan Thompson in a room at the County Ground and deny him all food and drink until he emerges with his signature on a new five-year contract.

Captain Alan McCormack, Simon Ferry, Aden Flint, Joe Devera, Raffa De Vita, Tommy Miller, Miles Storey and Leigh Bedwell are believed to be the other eight players out of contract at the end of this season.

But the key future signing must be 22-year-old Thompson, who was the worthy winner of the man-of-the match champagne from Sky TV in a deserved 2-0 win at Yeovil on Tuesday night which re-invigorated Town’s promotion push.

Now the world and his wife know about Thompson, who was thrust into the team on the untimely exit of captain Paul Caddis. His performances at the very start were consistent and of a high standard, but he has also managed to take them to another level.

The only negative is that he picked up his fourth booking in as many games and is perilously close to a ban.

I have no doubt Thompson could play in the Championship – and possibly the Premiership. So sign him up, Jed.

After some shaky moments in an uneventful first half, it was good to see the old impenetrable Swindon back five on Tuesday.

When there was danger, it was usually the tireless Thompson who snuffed it out.

And going forward they came alive after the break, with Andy Williams, Adam Rooney and sub James Collins all contributing to the cause.

There was also a lot of canny play in the second half, not least Gary Roberts expertly winning the penalty while heading away from the danger area.

But I would suggest if Rooney gets the chance of another pen in our third televised game of the season, away to Doncaster on Easter Monday, he does not put it in the same spot as those at Crawley and Yeovil. It was also amusing to watch Alan McCormack repeatedly putting himself in a position to be fouled and thus breaking up any possible momentum for the hosts, which epitomised the nous in this Swindon team. You could almost see him wink after every foul.

We may not have been at our best, but eight more displays like the Yeovil one before the end of the season would be enough for automatic promotion.