IF OLDER and wiser heads are what is required for Swindon Town to bounce back from last season’s relegation then Ben Purkiss is the ideal fit.

Town’s inexperience was exposed all too often as they dropped out of League One and the rawness of the group only increased once the likes of Nathan Thompson and Jonathan Obika made their inevitable summer departures.

When it came to rebuilding the squad, players well versed in the rigours of lower league football were amongst the top priorities as new manager David Flitcroft began his recruitment drive.

Alongside the likes of Chris Robertson, James Dunne and Olly Lancashire, full-back Purkiss perfectly fits the bill.

As a player whose career has encompassed a wide spectrum, from a side battling for promotion to the Premier League to the depths of non-league, the 33-year-old brings more than just much-needed match-craft to the County Ground but also a wider appreciation of life outside the game.

“When I left Sheffield United (in 2003), I made a decision to go to university as supposed to pursuing a career in the professional game,” said Purkiss.

“If you drop from a high level to what was a part-time level, it makes it more of a challenge to get back through the leagues.

“Fortunately, that was something I was able to do and I think I was able to do it through a daily work ethic of applying myself and trying to improve at all times.

“It’s not been without its hiccups but that is something you get with taking on new challenges and testing yourself.

“When I went from the youth team to the first team at Sheffield United, that was the stage when they were looking to progress to the Premier League.

“There was a lot of investment in the club at that time and I didn’t feel the manager, Neil Warnock, was particularly interested in the younger players and I found myself, most days, being surplus to requirements with the first team.

“I just felt my pathway to the first team was pretty unrealistic or far away and I had always been academically quite strong and I just decided to go a different route.”

When Purkiss left Bramall Lane he spent four years at Gainsborough Trinity in the Northern League and then five years after that flittering between National League and League Two clubs.

He has been a permanent fixture in the Football League since 2012 and arrives at the County Ground, via stints at Walsall and Port Vale, boasting close to 200 appearances in the bottom two tiers.

“When I was in non-league, I would see players with league experience come and play at that level and I didn’t feel there was much difference between the ability I had and the ability they had,” added Purkiss.

“That probably gave me that bit more belief to go and test myself at a higher level. I progressed from there and have spent the last five years in League One.

“It’s been an interesting journey and Swindon is the next step and I’m looking very much forward to a successful season.”