Swindon Town name Olly Lancashire as new club captain

Olly Lancashire has been named as Swindon Town's new captain, with James Dunne given the position of vice-captain.

Lancashire, 28, is a new signing at the County Ground, as he joined on a free transfer from Shrewsbury Town on June 28.

Lancashire began his professional career at then-Championship Southampton, after being on the books of Crystal Palace, and he made 15 appearances for the Saints between 2007 and 2010. He was sent off twice,

In 2009 and 2010 he had three loan spells out at the same side - Grimsby, and he played 25 matches for the Mariners, scoring once, as they were relegated out of the Football League.

He then moved on to Walsall in League One and, while there, the Saddlers narrowly avoided relegation twice, as they finished 20th and then 19th, in his two seasons at the Midlands. He played 49 games and scored once.

League Two Aldershot was next for Lancashire. His one year at the Shots was plagued with injury but he did manage to play 13 games as they were relegated and he was made redundant after the club went into adminstration.

His best spell would come at Rochdale, however. He made 93 league outings for Dale and won promotion with the club in his debut season, as they finished third in League Two and the following season, in League One, they earned an eighth-placed finish and were six points adrift of a play-off place.

In the 2015-16 season, as Rochdale finished 10th, he scored against Swindon in a 2-1 loss for his side at the County Ground - one of his two goals for the club.

Shrewsbury signed him on a free transfer in the summer of 2016, on a two-year deal, but and he made 16 appearances for the Shrews, scoring one goal.

James Dunne, also a new signing, from Portsmouth, has been named as vice-captain.

The midfielder began his career at Premier League giants Arsenal in 2007, where he spent two years without making an appearance, before moving on to Exeter City.

He was at Exeter for three years and made 110 appearances for the Grecians, scoring six goals while the club were in League One.

Stevenage, again then also in League One, followed and he made a further 55 outings and scored six goals for the Boro. He was awarded Stevenage's player-of-the-year award in 2013.

A loan spell in Scotland with St.Johnstone in the 2013-14 campaign saw him make 13 appearances and he then signed for Portsmouth, where he played 36 times.

He has since been in League Two with a loan spell at Dagenham and Redbridge followed by two years at Cambridge United, where he scored two goals in 46 games for the Us.

Lancashire replaces Nathan Thompson, who left the club for Portsmouth this summer.