HEAD coach Luke Williams has revealed that Swindon Town are trying to sign former Aston Villa striker Nathan Delfouneso.

The former England U21 international came through the ranks at Villa Park before leaving the club in 2014 and is currently a free agent after being released by Championship side Blackburn Rovers at the end of last season.

Town are short of options in attack following the departure of last season's top scorer Nicky Ajose to League One rivals Charlton Athletic, while Michael Smith and Miles Storey also exited the club over the summer.

Luke Norris has arrived from Gillingham but suffered an ankle injury in Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Chesterfield, while Town's only other frontline striker, Jonathan Obika, has missed the last two matches with a groin problem.

With Norris now expected to join Obika on the sidelines for Tuesday night's trip to the Gills, Town are desperate to bolster their strikeforce.

Williams confirmed that the club have made an approach for 25-year-old Delfouneso, who played four times for Bury in a loan spell at the end of last season, and hopes a deal can be done before Town travel to the Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday.

"We have been in touch with Nathan. Obviously he has been out of action for a while recently but quite clearly he is a player of immense talent," Williams told BBC Wiltshire.

"For sure we need a physical presence at the top end of the pitch, I think that's very evident.

"Luke was probably struggling at the start of the game (against Chesterfield) to really be able to move freely because he hasn't had a full pre-season and he is lacking match fitness.

"Had we had another front man he wouldn't have played because we know that was an injury risk waiting to happen. We had to take that chance because we don't have another physical player at the top of the pitch.

"It's no one's fault but it looks like will probably have to try to act very quickly before Tuesday."

Town have also been hit by a setback off the pitch, with goalkeeping coach Paul Crichton set to leave the club.

Crichton only joined the Town coaching staff over the summer but has since been offered a position at an academy in the United States.

"It's very frustrating but nothing that anyone can do anything about," said Williams, who added that Town have so far been unsuccessful in their efforts to find a replacement.

"He's been made a fantastic offer that he cannot turn down but the impact that he has had in a very short space of time has been incredible and something we are very grateful for.

"We thought we had an ideal suitor but we have not been able to agree a few terms and so on but we will move as quickly as we can to bring somebody in."