Charlton Athletic confirmed the appointment of Ben Garner as their new manager yesterday, leaving Swindon Town on the look-out for a replacement.

The 42-year-old performed well in the dugout at the County Ground last season, in guiding the Robins to a sixth placed finish and some very impressive attacking numbers.

Swindon will be hoping to kick on next season, and they certainly have the personnel to do so, but they are forced into a slight change of approach due to the Addicks swooping for Garner.

A difficult summer window may lie ahead with interest arising around some of their more standout players, but the Robins certainly have the capabilities to build a squad capable of pushing for a top three finish in 2022/23.

The Sun's Alan Nixon issued a brief response, via Twitter, to the suggestion that Mark Delaney could become the club's next manager, after leaving his post as Aston Villa U23s manager.

He wrote: "Swindon is wide open…"

There is certainly an opportunity for Swindon to build a more credible promotion push in 2022/23, with a few of the newly relegated clubs set for a difficult transition season in the fourth tier.

The nucleus of a promotion pushing squad is in place at the County Ground, it is now a case of who they can bring in to utilise that core in the best way.

The Verdict

 

 

Ryan Mason, Michael Carrick and Luke Garrard are three other names in the long list touted for the job with the bookmakers.

Garner was in place before the club was taken over last season, and therefore this is the first opportunity for Clem Morfuni to demonstrate what direction the club are heading in.

Mason and Carrick provide untested options, but ones with big reputations at that, while there are also more experienced managers out of work, who would jump at the opportunity to manage one of the biggest clubs in League Two.

The Robins came agonisingly close to booking their place at Wembley Stadium in the play-offs this term, and it will be interesting to monitor recruitment on and off the pitch with the aim of going one better.