Swindon Town sign Joe Tomlinson on loan from Peterborough United

The 21-year-old has made seven appearances for the Posh this season with the most recent coming in the club's Championship fixture against Sheffield United at the weekend.

Town have been after a wing-back ever since Kaine Kesler-Hayden was recalled by his parent club Aston Villa earlier this month, however, Tomlinson operates on the left rather than the right and will likely compete with Ellis Iandolo for a starting berth.

Rob Hunt could battle with Akin Odimayo in the right wing-back slot now that Mathieu Baudry is almost fit again and Brandon Cooper recently signed from Swansea City.

Tomlinson is the club’s sixth signing of the January transfer window, following the captures of; Emmanuel Idem, Jake O'Brien, Josh Davison, Louie Barry, and Cooper.

In a statement from Swindon Town, director of football, Ben Chorley said: "We've monitored Joe's situation for a while.

"He comes to us off the back of Championship minutes at the weekend.

"He's a dynamic, two-footed player with excellent distribution.

"Joe will add balance and competition for a massive second-half of the season for the club."

Having signed after 12pm, the former Eastleigh player will not be available in the Robins’ game against Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

However, the defender should be available for Town’s game against Exeter City at the weekend.

Having come through the ranks at Southampton, Tomlinson joined Eastleigh for the duration of the 2020-21 season and enjoyed a breakout year, scoring a remarkable 12 goals with two assists while helping his team keep 15 clean sheets in 42 appearances.

Those exploits saw Tomlinson earn Eastleigh's Player's Player and Supporter's Player of the Season Awards, as well as sealing a move to Championship outfit Peterborough in the summer of 2021.

Town say the 21-year-old is an accomplished crosser of the ball, is competent with both feet, and will be a huge asset at both ends of the pitch.