ANDREW Fitton has refused to rule out a Town return for Danny Ward, as the chairman eyes up further productive use of the loan market.

Ward has been on loan at the County Ground from Bolton since November and has been hugely impressive, making 31 appearances and scoring nine goals, and will start in Saturday’s League One play-off final against Millwall at Wembley.

The teenage front man is highly rated at the Reebok Stadium, with Trotters boss Owen Coyle admitting last week he is looking forward to seeing Ward in pre-season training.

But Fitton hinted that Swindon could make an attempt to lure the 19-year-old back down south.

“Let’s wait and see on that. You have to have the right relationship with the clubs,” he told the Advertiser.

“I’m sure we will sit down and talk to Bolton about Danny over the summer, and of course we would be keen to have him back.

“But Danny was loaned to us by one manager and now there is another there. These things happen in football, but it means I can’t say anything for certain yet.”

Fitton and manager Danny Wilson have spent the season building up links with teams like Celtic, Liverpool and Manchester City in order to help develop their brightest young talents.

And the chairman insists that a handful of loan players each season is the way forward for clubs lower down the football ladder.

“We very much will go back into the loan market and that is why we have worked so hard in creating relationships with other clubs.

“You can’t hope to have a squad like we’ve got with players all on permanent deals with us - it would end in a financial mess.

“We want to have a core squad of our own and then top it up with loan players.

“But those loan players aren’t just there to sit on the bench or come in if someone gets injured. They are there to play a big part and the likes of Simon Ferry and Danny Ward have proved that.”