SWINDON TOWN: Hart trained in the art of survival

Former Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth man Hart, pictured above, has a track record of seeing clubs clear of danger.

The 57-year-old has pulled both Pompey and Crystal Palace away from the drop zone in recent years and, whilst his overall record may not fill some with confidence, there is no doubting his credentials in similar circumstances to those surrounding Swindon at present.

Last season, with Palace sat one place above the relegation zone, Hart was brought in to replace the outgoing Neil Warnock with the simple objective of steering the team towards safety.

Although the Eagles won just three times in the league under his stewardship, Palace survived on the final day thanks to a 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday.

The former Leeds United defender produced similar results during his time at Fratton Park.

With Tony Adams receiving the sack after guiding Portsmouth through an ugly nine-game winless streak in early 2009, Hart stepped up from his role as the director of youth operations to take charge of the club until the end of the campaign.

Hart won his first game as boss - a 2-0 success against Manchester City - and steadied the ship as Pompey eased to safety.

He was rewarded with the full-time job on the south coast, but only lasted until November 2009, when he was sacked with Portsmouth rock-bottom of the Premier League.

Hart has also held the hotseat at Barnsley, Rushden & Diamonds and Chesterfield, while he lasted just five games at Queens Park Rangers.

A pioneer of the midfield triangle formation, which has been popularised by several high-profile managers since Hart employed it first at Nottingham Forest, the Wigan-born ex-pro played almost 600 times across an 18-year playing career before switching into coaching.

His biggest successes to date include guiding Chesterfield to the Division Three play-offs and Nottingham Forest to the Division One play-offs in 2002/03.