THE players who earned Andy King the job of Swindon Town manager will be given the chance to lift the club out of Division Two's struggling pack.

However, Town's boss-elect has warned he will have no hesitation in signing new players if the standard of performances drop.

As revealed exclusively in the Evening Advertiser last night, King will be given the job as Town manager tonight as the team prepare to face Wrexham at the County Ground.

Chairman Terry Brady will meet with King before the match and the duo, who have formed a good relationship, have already discussed strengthening the squad.

Mr Brady says he will back King 100 per cent if he accepts the job and that includes the signing of new players.

King believes his current squad is good enough to see them clear of trouble at the foot of the table, but says three more quality players would probably need to be added.

In the short term King says he owes them the chance to play. "At the moment I feel that the lads have gone out there and done the job for me. Now they will get the chance to keep doing so," he said.

"I owe it to them. They have earned it and they owe it to themselves to keep it going.

"At the same time I am aware that to go forward and to push on to the next step then I am going to need to bring in other people.

"I have already told the chairman that if I took the job then I would need to bring in three new players. However, I will not be signing players simply for the sake of it."

King took over as caretaker boss when Colin Todd resigned two weeks ago. Performances have improved and the spirit around the camp has lifted as the new man's enthusiasm and appetite for the game rubs off on those around him.

Partnered with Malcolm Crosbie they are the players' choice as well as chairman Terry Brady's.

"The players have got me into this position through their hard work and I will stick by them for the forseeable future. However, as soon as I see a lull in their performances then I will need to do something to improve it.

"They will get their chance against Wrexham tonight. There will be few changes to the side, but I will be tough on them and if I see a decrease in standards then I will move for players. I have got a list ready to show the chairman.

"I want to be a successful manager. I had some good times at Mansfield, I came so close to glory with them when we lost in the Play-off final. I hit the post with Mansfield. Now I have got another shot at it and I don't want to hit the post with Swindon, I want to score a hat-trick."

Tonight's match is expected to go ahead despite the weather, the club said this morning. Chief executive Pete Rowe said: "We don't see it being a problem."