Postpone a loan...for now (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

SWINDON TOWN: Postpone a loan...for now

6:00am Saturday 29th September 2012 in Sport By Sam Morshead

PRESSURE'S OFF: Paolo Di Canio

PAOLO Di Canio says he is under “less pressure” to dip into the emergency loan market following his Swindon Town side’s recent upturn in form.

However, the Robins boss is still looking for players who could add something different to his squad as they target promotion.

Prior to Town’s three consecutive victories, over Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Burnley in the last 10 days, Di Canio revealed that he wanted to reinforce his playing options in a bid to reverse a poor run of results.

Since then the Robins have put in some of the best displays under his tenure, claiming six League One points out of six and securing passage to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup.

Evidently appeased, Di Canio told the Advertiser that he is a lot calmer about the situation now, but he would not rule out bringing in new faces in the not-so-distant future.

“I don’t go out and speak if something goes wrong and say I want three players. I’m still open,” he said.

“Someone grew well and showed you that this guy took his chance and this guy improved five per cent which is amazing for me because he doesn’t make any more mistakes in there, he understands what I want and that makes me more relaxed and doesn’t mean I go straight away and search for a player.

“But I’m still open because I really believe that one or two can go out and have regular football and one, maybe also two, can come in and help me to cover or challenge for one place on the field.

“I don’t have the same pressure but I’m still open, even if we saw good performances.”

Meanwhile, Di Canio has urged Nathan Thompson not to lose focus despite an impressive run in the side.

The young right-back has come up through the ranks at the County Ground and has started in Town’s last three outings.

“Individually we have done very well, you can mention one name – Nathan Thompson did very well,” said the Swindon manager.

“But it’s three games, (Joe) Devera when he started for three games he looked like a proper right-back. Thompson obviously is more natural in there.

“In Nathan Thompson’s case he is a very determined professional but he is still young. It doesn’t just mean because you have had three good games that you can keep going. I hope for us it is, and I’m sure he will never lose focus, but it’s physiological - you can explode and then?

“We have to be honest, Wes last year did fantastic. We have to be honest, at the beginning of the season he didn’t do well, he wasn’t the same goalkeeper – not sure like before.

“He’s come back and now again he’s very good but for the first four games, even if we have clean sheets, he wasn’t the same player.

“For Nathan it’s a similar situation, even if he hasn’t done anything fantastic yet. He’s had three very good games and I told him not to lose his focus because it can be an instant and you can go out again.”