Austin signs two-and-a-half year contract (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Austin signs two-and-a-half year contract

3:20pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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MANAGER Danny Wilson seemed remarkably chipper on the BBC Radio Wiltshire fans’ phone-in on Monday night for a man who had been thwarted on three fronts in the transfer window that closed just two hours earlier.

He has every reason to be pleased with himself since Swindon earned ten points out of a possible 12 in January, including the scalp of the mighty Leeds, while extending their recent home record to six wins in six. Surely, that makes him a strong candidate for League One Manager of the Month.

Perhaps it is for the good that no new faces came in on deadline day. The team is settled and successful at the moment.

Alan Sheehan, Simon Ferry and Danny Ward have all extended their loan deals until the end of the season, while two big-earners, Hasney Aljofree and Lee Peacock, have been taken off the payroll.

Best of all, goal sensation Charlie Austin has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club as reward for his tremendous impact since coming from Wessex League Poole Town.

There were few revelations from Wilson on the phone-in, but he did drop his guard to reveal one or two juicy titbits.

He said that he had watched former loanee Hal Robson Kanu as recently as a fortnight ago, which suggests the winger is still very much in the manager’s thoughts.

Like another couple of confirmed targets, Paul Caddis of Celtic ad Matt Ritchie of Porstmputh, Kanu has been drafted into his first team squad on matchdays recently which has scuppered any transfer activity.

But as one window closes another one opens, in the shape of the emergency loan market, and Wilson seemed upbeat about the prospect of nabbing at least one of his preferred trio in the next week or so.

I must say, I like what I hear about Ritchie. My spies tell me he was one of the reasons why Dagenham & Redbridge almost made the Div 2 play-offs last season, when on loan from Pompey, and I understand he was popular in shorter loan spell at Notts County this season.

Doubtless buoyed by the success of unearthing a non-league gem like Austin, Wilson is getting keen on the semi-professional arena.

Woking’s Harry Arter and the free-scoring Charlie Ademeno of Crawley Town have both trained with Town, though neither is being actively pursued at the moment.

Wilson did reveal that another non-league target of his had just joined Gus Poyet at Brighton. Presumably that can only mean Chris Holroyd, the prolific young striker from Cambridge United.

A point away from home is not to be sniffed at, but when it came as a result of two late conceded goals, it leaves a bitter taste.

At least Southend had 11 men on the field at the time last Saturday, so it wasn’t quite so hard to take as the similar situation at Charlton a few weeks back.

On Saturday, in front of what should be another bumper if not sell-out crowd, Town get the chance to lay that particular ghost when a wobbling third-placed Charlton visit the County Ground on the back of two draws and a home defeat against Orient.

Let’s hope we can stall their promotion push some more by winning our seventh consecutive league game at home.

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