PAOLO Di Canio has urged Swindon Town majority shareholder Andrew Black to give him the financial backing he needs in the January transfer window.

After freeing up the funds necessary to take Town out of embargo earlier this season, Black has not increased Di Canio’s new year budget and, on the back of the 5-0 drubbing of Portsmouth yesterday, the Italian publicly asked the money man to release further funds to help him mould a squad capable of promotion from League One.

Di Canio is targeting two new signings this month, and also wants to hold onto the on-loan quartet of Danny Hollands, Chris Martin, Darren Ward and John Bostock, but to do so he requires extra cash to that which is currently at his disposal. He said: “If I was Andrew Black and I was here today I would say, ‘Paolo, here is the money, oh mamma mia’.

“But I am not Andrew Black and I cannot work double trouble four times or five times to take out something more. He already did a really good job, it is clear, but I would say, ‘don’t let me listen to voices around me’.

“We are there, there is not any insurance even if we spend £20million for us to get promotion, but (we want) to keep those players.

“Not only today, but for the way we arrive in this moment with two games in hand, but there are 20 games left.

“I would say ‘shut your mouth, shut your mouth. Paolo, absolutely. This is for you, let me enjoy’.

“Then at the end if we don’t go up he can kick my bottom. But in this moment I think about it and I hope, but I don’t count on help from the board and I do things my own way.

“If it comes, it will be fantastic for everybody. It is difficult, it is really difficult and I have to go through people who do not want this, but it is the situation.

“I didn’t give up because I know and we are sure in the situation, but we have to keep the base we have and we can have a good satisfaction.

“Two months ago we were a team, but in the last three weeks we became a team, a group, which is better. We can be the rest of the season this team because they are more mature.”