FORMER Swindon Town caretaker player-manager Darren Ward says the club are in safe hands with their current interim boss Matt Taylor.

Ward, 39, turned out 75 times for Swindon during his three-year spell at the County Ground between 2012-2015, the former Millwall man also taking took the managerial reins, alongside midfielder Tommy Miller, when Paolo Di Canio abruptly left the club in February 2013.

Five years later, Town find themselves in a similar situation, with Taylor stepping up to take the team after David Flitcroft’s sudden departure to Mansfield last Wednesday.

Ward, whose younger brother Scott played alongside Taylor for Luton at youth level, reckons the club are in a good place with the former West Ham man at the helm.

“It’s very interesting. I know Matt well and he grew up in the same youth team as my brother Scott at Luton,” said Ward. 

“We had many days out together and whenever we’ve crossed paths over the years, we have a good catch up. He is a gentleman and a very nice guy.

“Swindon is a fantastic club, I had a great time there myself. I think he is in a good place. He is obviously well supported and it’s nice to see him in that position.

“It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. It could be temporary, but it could be potentially long term.

“Good luck to him. Whether he stays depends on results and performances but if he gets the results the club require then he puts himself in the window there.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to get the job on a full-time basis. If that is what he wants so I say good luck to him.”

Alongside midfielder Miller, Ward took joint-charge of first team affairs and collected a point from the two games they were in charge.

After being asked to manage the team by the players, Ward admitted it was a great feeling to be handed the responsibility and says it’s something Taylor will be have experienced over the last week.

“It was overwhelming that the players wanted myself and Tommy Miller to become the managers for the short term,” said Ward, who admitted he would love to return to the County Ground in the future.

“That was incredible. I can’t thank the players enough for that because they clearly saw something there.

“I thrived in that opportunity, I loved it. It was a great experience and I hope that Matt can gone on and do better for the people who have given him that opportunity.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Swindon and I would love to come back to the club in some capacity in the future.

“It was a fantastic period. I loved it there and I certainly see myself working there in the future.”