THE Swindon Town board have this evening responded to the statement issued by Paolo Di Canio earlier this evening.

The Robins' statement, posted on the club's official website, read: "Following Paolo Di Canio's comments earlier today, the Board wishes to assure fans that it continues to work towards the sale of the Club and the ensuring of its long term future.

"The last few days have been extremely demanding given the combination of significant on-going losses, a closing transfer window and the disappointment of not bringing in the loan players as we had wished.

"The Board expects to complete the sale of the Club next week and are confident that the new owners share the same ambitions as Paolo and his team. The decisions made over the course of the last few days have not been made lightly, and in the case of the decision to sell Matt Ritchie, have been done in conjunction with the new owners.

"Whilst the Board understands Paolo's desire to gain promotion and is wholly supportive of this, the Board's considerations and responsibilities extend beyond the on field activities of the team. On some occasions it is faced with difficult choices and whilst we recognise the disappointment to all caused by the sale of Matt, the Board has not shirked its duty to face up to the harsh realities of its financial situation.

"We look forward to the swift resolution of these short term issues, Football League approval of the new owners and hopefully a win against Crawley."