DAN THE FAN: Departing Jed deserves the fans' thanks

Just 286 days after completing a deal to takeover Swindon Town, Jed McCrory is leaving he club, to be replaced by the new Owner and Chairman Lee Power.

All Town fans owe Jed McCrory and his consortium a great deal for coming to Town’s rescue last February - without their intervention it’s likely we’d not have a football club to support today.

Since becoming chairman, McCrory has become heavily involved in all aspects of the club and the community, and was extremely passionate about his role at Town.

The guy wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but he certainly deserves every-one’s respect.

Looking into the future, current Director of Football Lee Power is now the clubs new owner and chairman.

“I want to get this club into the Premier League. It has been in the past and even recent history shows that smaller clubs than Swindon have managed this feat and I see no reason why we can’t.”

They are just some of the words from the new owners statement published on the clubs official website on Tuesday.

The former Norwich City striker joined the club in April to oversee player recruitment, and judging by our squad this season, he’s done a decent job.

The 41-year old has been a football agent, and also held several different roles at Luton Town, Cambridge United and Rushden & Diamonds.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, since joining Town, Power has invested nearly £750K, and plans to increase that amount to over £1.1M by the end of the season.

A lot of fans seem untrusting of the new owner due to his association with the collapse of his former publishing company Cre8, and other companies where he’s been a director.

Its obvious the guy hasn’t got a glowing CV and I understand concerns, but I’m willing to give Mr. Power a chance at Swindon Town before writing him off.

He has so far put his money where his mouth is, and has been integral to the club signing key players such as Alex Pritchard, Ryan Mason and Massimo Luongo, due to his friendship with Tim Sherwood at Spurs.

Personally I was disappointed to see Jed McCrory leave, but I’m intrigued by what the new owner has in store for Town.

Some say you should never judge a book by its cover but I’m sure Mr. Power knows what he writes with his actions on the first few pages of his premiership will be fundamental to his long-term success at Town.

The F.A Cup 2nd Round means it's a weekend off for the players.

But an important game is just round the corner, when we face Graham Westley’s Stevenage side in the area semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Truthfully, the JPT isn’t a big priority for any of the clubs that enter the competition; it’s only when you get to the semi-final stage when it becomes interesting.

If Town manage to beat Stevenage next Tuesday, two out of the next three games will be televised which brings in extra revenue to the club, and it’s a competition that Swindon have never won.

It’s a shame the final is at the soulless, corporate shell that is the New Wembley Stadium, but its still a cup final, which is a big deal to any club.

With Town having a long rest and their opponents playing just a few days before, we have a big advantage, and I can see us advancing into the area final for the second time in the past three seasons.

Follow me on Twitter @danjohnson_stfc.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here