DAN THE FAN: Crucial window shopping

The transfer window has finally arrived and after weeks of talking about new players coming through the door at Swindon Town we now get the chance to see if owner Lee Power will deliver some new arrivals.

Unfortunately, the window began on a sour note as Queens Park Rangers manager Ian Holloway recalled both Michael Doughty and Darnell Furlong from their loan spells at Town to help them revive their terrible Championship campaign.

Both men will be a huge loss to the club, with Doughty being the club’s best outfield player this season.

Despite his form dipping since returning from injury, his undoubted quality was still plain to see. Furlong will also be missed at full-back as he’s shown his importance at times.

If we thought this month was already going to be tough to rebuild a side it’s been made even harder, which is one of the risks of the loan market.

It’s a risk Town have no choice but to take.

By the time you read this I hope we’ve seen some progress, whether it be with experienced names or young talent arriving on loan, but with January still in its infancy there’s certainly no need to panic just yet.

Town’s first action in 2017 was a credible 0-0 home draw with play-off chasing Southend and once again goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was the star man.

When you have a talent like Vigouroux there will be admirers and some fans were a little worried when he posted a picture of himself waving at the crowd after a game on social media with a waving hand emoji.

It’s ridiculous to read too much into what anyone puts on social media, but was it a little sign that he’s on his way out?

Personally I can see Lawrence staying here at least until the summer, when it might be difficult to keep hold of him.

Another player to stand out was striker Jermaine Hylton, despite only being on the pitch for a matter of minutes.

It’s great to see Luke Norris’ form improve but Town need to let what could be an important partnership between Hylton and Jonathan Obika show what it can do.

Follow me on Twitter @danwjonson

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here