How do Swindon Town move on from David Flitcroft's nine-month stint in charge?

David Flitcroft was only at Swindon for nine months, but his impact on the club has potential to last a lot longer than that.

Flitcroft has today [Thursday] officially been announced as the new manager as Mansfield, just two days after Steve Evans resigned from the Stags.

It was only nine months ago he was having the same experience at Swindon, on June 4, 2017, when Town finally confirmed the ex-Bury and Barnsley boss as the then-new manager at the helm following a month-long search for Luke Williams' replacement.

Given that Yeovil at home is only two days away and only 11 games of the regular season remain, the Robins will not have the same luxury of being able to take their time on this occasion and, frankly, have rather been left in the lurch with the timing of Flitcroft's departure. Him going to a promotion rival is just rubbing salt in the wounds.

And that is part of the problem, a wrong step here could have devastating effects on the club going forward.

God knows this season has seen far too many comparisons to Paolo Di Canio's tenure - given he was the man in charge the last time Swindon found themselves in League Two, but this situation does have a sense of the Kevin MacDonalds about it.

When Di Canio decided enough was enough at the County Ground, Swindon were deep in a promotion battle and had a big decision to make as they aimed to get to the second tier for the first time since the turn of the Millennium. MacDonald got the gig and Swindon lost to Brentford in the play-off semi-finals.

With the decision in the hands of Lee Power again, he has two main choices to make.

1) Does he bring in another 'old-school' manager?

After initially building his Swindon with the passing styles of Mark Cooper, Martin Ling and Luke Williams, that was heavily influenced by young players, Power ripped that up last summer following the club's relegation from League One and appointed Flitcroft, someone who was supposed to get Swindon promoted, even if it was ugly.

And it was. Flitcroft's football did not resemble a side that was supposed to be a top team - it was slow, uninspiring and downright dull on multiple occasions, especially in the first half of the season prior to the switch to the 4-3-1-2 system. Swindon's low attendances are not just due to Flitcroft's tactics, but they were never going to get people to flock to Wiltshire either.

Many fans, at this stage, could not care less whether Swindon offer Total Football or Total Boredom - as long as promotion is secured, which is a perfectly fair view point, but Town have never been a leading candidate this season, despite never being totally out of it either.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, should Power return to his original blueprint, the next young, more progressive manager has a baptism of fire from day one.

Flitcroft's recruitment was largely focused on bringing experienced pros to the club, and very few of the current crop are capable of much creativity.

A new, free-flowing side would have to be built around 19-year-old Timi Elsnik, who is still only in his first season playing 'men's football' and has been struck down with two injuries.

Keshi Anderson and Ollie Banks can provide support while Kaiyne Woolery brings zip up front, but beyond that, Swindon have not got much going forward from open play, with a reliance on set-pieces being another Flitcroft trademark.

The transfer and loan windows are both shut of course, so any new arrival to freshen things up would have to be a free agent.

2) Do Swindon contemplate focusing on the future rather than the present?

This might seem a stupid suggestion given promotion is still an incredibly doable task. However, the sheer speed of Flitcroft's departure leaves Swindon in trouble ahead of Saturday, with the team only having two days to prepare for another crucial league match, Yeovil at home, before hosting Cheltenham the following week.

Saturday's manager has been confirmed as current player Matty Taylor.

It was a move backed by some supporters before it was official and he is the current fourth-favourite for the role on a permanent basis in the bookies' odds. He has expressed a desire to manage in the future and could well be someone to build a philosophy around should be want to stay on after his test drive.

Taylor could alternatively take a two-month interim role while Swindon explore the options of a summer appointment, whether Candidate X will be unveiled as a League One manager or a League Two boss is a matter of time, but it is another avenue regardless. 

The risk Swindon of course run by going with plan two is becoming the latest in a string of clubs that end up getting stuck in League Two, a problem Portsmouth, Plymouth, Notts County all faced when relegated to the basement professional season.

Swindon have in the past been punished for rushing things though, and may benefit from a clear and concise plan - two of the above clubs are flying high in League One now, while County are on course to return to the third tier. 

Whatever Swindon's next move is, it's season-defining, and perhaps even club-defining.