SWINDON Town have signed young Southampton defender Jack Stephens on loan until the end of the season.

After the Town defence was exposed in the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Wolves, during which the league leaders scored three times, the back line has become an obvious landing spot for any potential reinforcements.

Now 20-year-old Stephens could be a temporary answer and could be involved at Bristol City on Saturday.

Speaking earlier today manager Mark Cooper admitted he would consider freshening up his defence with new faces, but any potential incomings would need to benefit the club in the long term rather than just between now and the end of the season.

When asked whether the opposition would now target the Town defence, Cooper said: “I’m sure they have and will continue to do so but at the moment we are what we are.

“We are trying to do something about it and we would like to do something straightaway. Whether that means playing another centre back to cover that up like we did the other night, because we always have that option, or maybe we explore the loan market.

“We spoke to one or two but everybody is after the better players. There is no point in bringing someone in for the sake of it who is going to cost us more money, we have to make sure if we do bring someone in they’re better than what we’ve got.

“We have to be careful with any money we’ve got and we have to use it wisely.”

Stephens began his career at Plymouth before moving to St Mary’s in 2011.