DION Conroy has been confirmed as Swindon Town’s new captain for the 2019-20 campaign.

The defender, who signed for Swindon in 2017 from Chelsea, had the honour of leading Town out on a temporary basis at the end of last season while former skipper Olly Lancashire was left out of the squad.

But the 23-year-old will now wear the captain’s armband with pride permanently, while Mathieu Baudry has been confirmed as vice-captain.

Conroy used the announcement opportunity to thank Town manager Richie Wellens for bringing the best out of his game after revealing his fitness struggles last autumn.

He said: “When Richie first turned up, I was struggling with fitness. We had a few words to figure out how we could get the best out of me.

“I have a lot of respect for the manager, because he brought out the best in me at the end of last season.

“It’s a mutual respect, and hopefully we can go on and have a great season.”

Conroy’s opportunity as captain could be marked as one of the proudest moments of his career to date, which has no doubt been hampered by injuries.

A nasty shoulder issue was followed by a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which delayed his progress at the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

But starting this season in the company of several new defensive recruits has injected optimism into Conroy’s game.

He added: “I’m honoured to be captain.

“To be handed the armband for the last 10 or so games of last season was pretty special.

“But to sign a new deal here and be awarded captaincy is a big honour – and to have it at 23 is also a big thing.

“It’s always easy adapting to new faces, but especially when they’re good guys.

“I’m looking forward to playing with Mathieu (Baudry) and Dan (Ballard), but there’s also Zeki Fryers, Rob Hunt and Tyler Reid too.

“They’re all good players. I was used to Richie’s style at the end of last season, I feel he’s added a few tweaks to allow us to play more how he wants.”