SIGNING for Swindon Town feels like a homecoming for Sam Ricketts after joining on loan for the club he used to watch as a child.

Ricketts, who signed on until the end of the season last week, holds Swindon close to his heart with his grandad, Norman, being a life-long fan and his uncle being the seven-time champion jockey John Francome.

The defender’s grandad, who once bunked off school to watch Swindon play Grimsby in the FA Cup back in 1934, was the first person he called after signing and he enjoyed a couple of brandies to celebrate his grandson’s imminent arrival.

Francome and the rest of his Swindon-based family watched the Welsh international make his debut at the County Ground, albeit for bitter rivals Oxford United, while Ricketts has always kept an eye on the goings on at SN1.

Having guided Wolves to the League One title last season the 33-year-old is hoping that his experience can help see Swindon over the finish line with Swindon’s style of play being one of the reasons he opted to move to Wiltshire.

"It's somewhere I've always wanted to play and to get the opportunity to do so now under such great circumstances is something beyond even what I was hoping,” he told members of the local press this morning.

"I was a boyhood Liverpool fan but I've always followed Swindon for what it means to me.

"It's the first club I ever came to watch play - I made my debut here and my family's all from Swindon.

"My grandad has come to watch for many, many years, so it’s always been close to me.

"I joined Swindon for a number of reasons really, first and foremost is the way the club play and what they are trying to achieve this season - I think they've been batting far above their means in terms of budget.

"The football they play has caught everyone's eye - I'm certainly one of those and I'm relishing the opportunity to play for them.

"It's been documented that my family is all from Swindon, so I've always kept an eye on them.

"The first ever game I came to watch was Swindon v Crystal Palace many, many years ago - I think it was the quarter-finals of the League Cup and then obviously I made my debut here - although it was for Oxford.”