PAUL Hart believes the appointment of a permanent manager of Swindon Town should be made as soon as possible to give the club the best chance of being able to prepare fully for next season.

The former Nottingham Forest boss has made no secret of his desire to be handed the reins on a long-term basis, with his initial deal at the club due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Hart has had a positive impact at the club since taking charge back on March 3, ending a run of four successive defeats before guiding Town to a first win since early January at Brentford on Saturday.

Who the board decide to put their trust in for next season will depend largely on which division Swindon find themselves in, but there is little doubt that Hart is firmly in contention for the position.

However, Paul Trollope has been linked with the role in recent weeks while there have also been suggestions that current assistant manager Ian (Charlie) McParland could take charge, with Hart remaining at the club as director of football - a position that the current boss has said he is open to.

Chairman Andrew Fitton recently confirmed that a decision on the management team will be made before the end of the month and Hart welcomed the news, confident it is in the best interests of the club to have the situation resolved as soon as possible.

The 57-year-old told the Advertiser: “I think for the benefit of the football club, a decision on whoever is going to be manager needs to be made sooner rather than later.

“There are an awful lot of plans to be put into place and decisions to be made and all that sort of stuff.

“The club will lose ground in all markets if a decision is not made soon, so for the benefit for the club I think it is the common sense option for the football club.”

Though there is no guarantee Hart will still be in charge beyond the summer he already has in mind his own plans for next season, should he be the board’s permanent option.

He added: “I am a football coach so planning is what I do, but implementing is a different thing.

“We have to wait and see what happens and hopefully we are in a good position for whoever takes over to enjoy the benefits of this club and what it can bring and do.”