THE announcement of David Flitcroft as the new Swindon Town manager yesterday has put an end a month of hunting, speculation and rejection - and not a moment too soon for the majority of long-suffering supporters.

After Luke Williams’ unfortunate, if not unexpected, departure from the County Ground at the start of May, it was no surprise that many supporters were hoping for a swift replacement to swoop in, complete with a giant ‘S’ emblazoned on their shirt to give them some reason to be optimistic with League Two looming large.

However, the reality was, with chairman Lee Power having promised a top-to-bottom analysis of what went wrong last season, the next move had to be a considered one.

The consequences of repeating any mistakes made in the past were simply too serious to comprehend.

Admittedly, if Power’s approach for number one target Steve Evans had not been hit back so forcefully by Mansfield Town, this whole process could have been over two weeks ago.

As it is, the Town chairman was forced to return to the drawing board.

It now appears he has carefully considered his options and landed on a man who may not be immediately eye-catching in managerial stature, but at least offers a reason to start shifting the tide from tidal waves of pessimism last term to trickles of optimism for the future.

Should we be so surprised by Power’s appointment?

Under his sole ownership, he has overseen three managerial changes.

While the finger of blame can be pointed in his direction for the swiftness of his actions when called upon to make the tough decision and cut ties when it wasn’t working, his work in finding adequate replacements has been logical and laudable.

Bringing in Martin Ling from his self-imposed time in the wilderness was a move that ticked so many of the right boxes and will only be viewed with a longing of ‘what if?’ And what Luke Williams was lacking in experience he more than made up for in words of recommendation from playing staff past and present while his results in the interim period spoke for themselves, Power showing his commitment to the development of the ‘hot prospect’ with a five-year deal.

Despite approaches for more well-known names like Teddy Sheringham, who may have caught the gaze of the national press more so than a lad from Bolton who had a good, if unspectacular playing career in the lower leagues, when it came to managerial experience, it would have been a big leap into the unknown and there would have been a hefty price tag with it.

While Flitcroft’s appointment might cause the ‘cheap option’ brigade to start readying their trumpets for an assault on the comment sections of the Adver website, time needs to be afforded before the obvious conclusions are sought.

With this appointment, Power appears to be acting in the best interest of the club and not just his pocket, something which the chairman has also been accused of on countless occasions in the past.

Flitcroft will be the first manager under Power - in the main man’s own words - to have full control of the transfers, with a sizeable budget, and the way the team plays, which will bring its own pressures and responsibility.

While Flitcroft’s record to date would hardly have Stan Lee reaching for his pens to portray the latest super hero, like Marcus Cassidy’s County Ground pitch, it does offer the potential of some green shoots of recovery.