MAURICE Malpas can look forward to a thorough examination of his negotiating skills this summer when he takes on the role of Swindon's very own Del Boy, writes GARETH MOORHOUSE.

Town's multi-millionaire backers have already stated success will have to be earned rather than bought, and for Malpas that means scouring the Football League for the best value buys.

The Town boss revealed there would be no treasure chest to splash on new players, and he expects to spend much of his time "wheeling and dealing" in the transfer market.

"I can say now there won't be massive sums of money to go out and buy players," he said.

"I think the league we are in and the type of club we are, it will be a case of wheeling and dealing in terms of people coming out of contract.

"Hopefully the club has a good name by then and people want to come here and play.

"I'm trying to make it a happy atmosphere for the players, if we do that we can get people to come here.

"There won't be any big treasure chest, it will be players out of contract, those that other clubs are looking to move on and younger players as well."

Town fans will be reassured to hear that while Malpas is planning for the future, he has by no means forgotten about the present.

Tuesday's nail biting 3-2 triumph over Huddersfield ended a sequence of four matches without a win, much to the manager's relief.

But rather than making any bold predictions about a late surge for the play-offs, Malpas has told his players to focus on one game at a time.

He said: "The most important thing is to forget about the league table. After the Walsall game I realised we were talking about the top six too much.

"Nearer the end of the season we can start to look at where we are.

"For now, let's forget about it and concentrate on each game as it comes. Hopefully we do well enough in each game to get enough points to get there."

If Town are to challenge at the business end of League One come late April, Malpas admits he will need every player fully focused on the task ahead.

"One of the things I have been trying to drum into them is that they must be mentally prepared," he said.

"You cannot turn your attitude on and off like a tap. Only 11 players can start a match but the other five subs must be prepared as well.

"I don't want people thinking that because they don't get a game one week it's the end of their world.

"Something can happen in the week, somebody has a silly accident about the house and they get thrown in.

"When the players get their chance they must be ready to take it."