TOMMY Mooney is expecting to face a Town side fighting for their careers today after the club's future was finally secured with the completion of a protracted takeover.

Andrew Fitton's consortium agreed to the purchase of Swindon Town yesterday lunchtime, as revealed by the Advertiser on Friday morning, with all parties due to put pen to paper and seal the deal early next week.

Swindon Football Holdings Limited will include Fitton, Jeremy Wray and the 170th richest man in Britain Sir Martyn Arbib as directors, with their plans for the future expected to be unveiled on Tuesday morning.

Wray is confident the current transfer embargo will be lifted by the Football League early next week, having now resolved the remaining issue with the tax man, and revealed Maurice Malpas would also be appointed as manager early next week.

Saddlers' striker Mooney is hoping to shrug off a hamstring injury in time to face his former club tomorrow and knows their 17-match unbeaten run will be severely put to the test by a side out to impress.

New Town manager-in-waiting Malpas is expected to watch tomorrow's League One clash at the Banks' Stadium from the stands - with the players eager to make a memorable first impression.

"It is not a great time for us to be playing them," said Mooney. "Obviously with the new manager coming in they will be fired up and determined to show what they can do.

"Swindon would always have been a tough game anyway, we found that last year, but I am sure there will be a bit of freshness about them now, especially with the takeover done."

Mooney's 20 goals for Town in the 2003-04 season helped them to the League One play-offs but, since his departure, instability on and off the field have set the County Ground outfit back.

Malpas will be the seventh manager at SN1 since Mooney departed for Oxford just over two years ago and he is adamant a halt in the managerial merry-go-round and an end to financial problems can only benefit his former side.

He said: "It is unbelievable really. I don't think it has been a steady ship at Swindon since Andy King took us to the play-offs if I am being honest.

"As far as I am concerned he did amazingly on the resources he had there. Since Andy King left it seems they have had problem after problem.

"The last few years have been a difficult time for Swindon but hopefully with this takeover and a new manager they can look forward to more certain times.

"Changing managers every six months does not help anything. But if the new guy can come in and hit the ground running, Swindon could still have a say in the promotion race by the end of the season."

  • Town's home encounter with Leeds United on Saturday 1st March 2008 will now kick-off at the earlier time of 2pm.

The League One clash against the side bossed by former Swindon manager Dennis Wise has been brought forward one hour on police advice.

Supporters should note that ticket priority for the Leeds game will be given to supporters who purchase tickets for the Northampton Town game on Saturday,February 2.

Tickets for the Leeds United game will be available for purchase either at the same time as Northampton tickets or with the production of a Northampton ticket stub until Saturday, February 9.

Supporters' club members will also able purchase a priority ticket.