Swindon Town youngsters Tom Smith and Jake Evans look set to move to chairman Lee Power's Irish club Waterford on loan

The First Division side, who Swindon Town chairman Lee Power acquired last November, kick off their season away to Athlone Town on Friday evening, with both expected to be named in the squad.

In a bid to transform the financially stricken club into promotion contenders, Power has been busy, bringing in Alan Reynolds as manager and Pat Fenlon as director of football, signing 21 players and even carrying out a rebranding of the club, removing ‘United’ from the team name and changing the club crest.

Now it appears as though the recruitment drive has turned to Swindon, with Power going on record earlier this year saying there would be link if it worked out well for both parties.

Blues’ chief Fenlon was in Swindon watching Town’s development game against Bristol Rovers last month, a game in which both Smith and Evans featured.

Last week, Swindon head coach Luke Williams revealed that Evans had been training with the Irish outfit, and the Adver understand that Smith has also travelled across the Irish Sea to join up with the team.

Reports have linked Smith, who is out of contract with Town in the summer, with a permanent move, but it is understood that a loan move until June is more likely for the pair.

Speaking in November,18-year-old Smith, who had clubs interested in taking him on loan before the start of the season, said: “At the start of the season, I didn’t know how much I was going to be involved.

“I was looking towards a loan at the start of the season but come pre-season, I was playing a few games and then at the start of the season, I played a few more, such as (against) QPR (in the EFL Cup). Things do change and there were a few injuries, so I ended up not going out.

“There wasn’t any concrete offers, it was just a few bits of speculation. Staying here was always my main plan anyway. Loans were just at the back of my mind because I didn’t know what I was doing.”