SWINDON will welcome the club’s newest fan to the County Ground this afternoon as the club aims to secure the League Two title at home to Port Vale.

But while today’s game will be two- week old Olivia Rose McCormack’s first experience of a football match, she played an important part in Town’s victory over Plymouth a fortnight ago as her father, Town defender Alan McCormack, rushed to hospital little more than half an hour before kick-off to attend her birth.

As a result the Irishman’s place in the team that day was taken by returning captain Paul Caddis, but now he is back in the side, and if Town get the points they need for promotion today the centre-back would like nothing more than to have the latest addition to his family alongside him to celebrate.

“She will be out on the pitch with me if we win the league, even though she will only be two weeks old which is obviously very, very young,” he said.

“I have had a little shirt made up in the club shop for her to wear, and I can’t wait to carry her round in my arms.

“Hopefully she will be OK and won’t kick off too much because of the noise and all the people.

“But I want her there with me because it is going to be a special day, and on special days you want to have your family with you so you can look back on it in years to come and have all of those memories.

“It will be good for her too when she grows up because she will be able to look at the photos and think she was there.”

The defender has been enjoying his first taste of fatherhood, which has pushed him to take on tasks around the house he is not normally used to.

“It has been great, it has been my turn to do the feeds so I am really tired, but to go home every day and see her there is a brilliant feeling, and such a joy to have in my life,”

“As soon as I leave training my mindset is to go home and look after my little girl, and my partner too as she needs looking after.

“There is a lot of hard work during the nights, and I have been getting involved in a lot more stuff around the house and my cooking skills have increased a lot recently.”

But while McCormack is keen for his daughter to be involved in the celebrations today, he will do his best to keep her away from football in the long term.

“I doubt she will be a massive Swindon fan, because I don’t really want her supporting football or being around football or footballers in any way because I know what they are like.

“I will keep an eye out that she doesn’t get too involved, but as long as she supports me as her dad that is the main thing.”