Terry Brady has stepped up his fight for compensation by taking out a court injunction preventing Colin Todd from joining any other football club.

The Town chairman (pictured) secured his order from Strand Magistrates Court early yesterday evening.

It stops Todd, who tried to resign from his post at the County Ground a week ago, from taking up any other post at any other football club.

Todd has agreed terms to join Derby County as assistant to Jim Smith but no move can be completed until a settlement package has been sorted out with Swindon Town.

He is currently on what has been described as "garden leave" on full pay while caretaker boss Andy King takes control of the side against Cambridge tonight.

Brady will not allow his manager to walk away for what he describes as a derisory sum and the duo's lawyers are currently locked in negotiations.

Last night, in an exclusive interview with the Evening Advertiser, Mr Brady said he was prepared to keep Todd on garden leave for as long as it took to get his compensation even if it meant paying the wages out of his own pocket until the contract runs out in 2004.

"He will have received notification through his solicitors at 6.30pm last night," said Brady.

"I have done this because we cannot get the compensation that we want and we will not release Colin from his contract until we get what we feel we are owed.

"We have invested a lot of money into Colin Todd and if we wanted to go out and get a new manager to replace him then that too would cost me a lot of money again."

Brady believes Derby County made an illegal approach to Todd before asking permission to speak with the manager.

His move is clearly aimed at preventing Todd's arrival at Pride Park, with Brady describing the East Midlands club as ignorant to his demands.

"I hope this states our position clearly," he said."I am doing this for the best interest of Swindon Town. We cannot be pushed around by the big boys.

"I don't want people to think they can just come along, take our manager and give us virtually nothing for him.

"He is still on full pay and I am quite happy to keep him on garden leave for the remainder of his four-year contract. I will pay his wages personally so that it does not affect the club. He will have the best rose bushes in the country.

"Derby may have said that their prodigal son has returned, but where were they when he was unemployed?"