Swindon Town manager David Flitcroft will "possibly" sign free-agent centre-back to cover injuries

After confirming that Matt Preston will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Swindon manager David Flitcroft spoke about potentially signing a free-agent centre-back to deal with the loss.

Centre-back Matt Preston picked up a knee injury in the 1-0 win over Mansfield and has not played since, with manager Flitcroft now confirming he will not play again this season.

Preston is the second centre-back to have his season ended by injury, as Dion Conroy injured his ACL back in September and has been in rehab ever since. 

Swindon now only have three senior centre-backs - Chris Robertson, January loan signing Rollin Menayese and captain Olly Lancashire, but the skipper is injured as well at the moment, as he is currently nursing an ankle problem.

"Olly has had an injection, so he's now settling down. He'll have to have the surgery in the summer, so really we're trying to manage the injury, and at times he shouldn't have been out there this season," Flitcroft said post-Port Vale.

"Lancs is giving everything for the cause and continues to do that.

"We've got bad news on Matt Preston. He doesn't need an operation but the injury's probably ended his season so I'm absolutely gutted on Matt, we've had to deal with that this week, and I'm gutted because he was in really good form. It's just another loss that we've got to understand and move on very quickly."

Right-back Ben Purkiss has been converted into a centre-back in recent weeks but Swindon play a three centre-back system and are rotating between four players. Joe Romanski from the academy has also been on the bench on occasion, including on Saturday, with Swindon only naming six subs. 

Because of that, Flitcroft is exploring the option of signing a free agent to provide extra cover in defence.

"If something comes up, you just don't know what's around the corner. I don't know how Lancs' injury is going to react.

"We had Joe Romanski on the subs bench today and he's been training with us. Do I think he's ready? Probably not, but he gives us cover. So, possibly, potentially. 

"I'm working on it, it's just been that busy a period, it's been difficult to go round and meet and discuss with people."

The deadline for free agent signings is on the last Sunday of March, which lands on the 25th this year. Swindon can also only sign free agents that were free agents before the closing of the January transfer window. 

For example, if a player is released by a club in the near future, he cannot be officially registered as a Swindon Town player until the summer.

Preston's Swindon contract expires at the end of the season, Conroy is contracted until the end of the 2018-19 campaign.