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LEE Power branded Nathan Thompson’s extended stay at Swindon Town as “the most fundamental” signing he’s made during his time in charge of the Robins and dissected every aspect of the club’s current state of affairs during a 45-minute press conference yesterday.

The Town chairman postponed his return home to Switzerland at short notice to sit in on the briefing of the local media at the County Ground on Thursday and took the chance to address topics as diverse as low attendances, plans for a new training ground, further contract negotiations and the importance of tying Thompson down until 2017 in his first appearance in front of the assembled press for more than a year.

Of his captain, a product of the club’s youth academy, Power was glowing in his praise, stressing how significant he felt Thompson’s re-signing to be.

Power said: “I felt it was important from the club’s point of view to stay – I was flying back to Switzerland and I decided to stay to announce Nathan has signed a new, two and a half year deal at the football club.

“I think it is probably the most fundamental signing I’ve made since I’ve been here and we’ve made some big signings in my time. The likes of Massimo, Yaser, Obika – the types of quality players we’ve brought in – at the time were kids that we’ve developed and were players no one wanted. They’ve come on to be the players they are now.

“With Nathan it was different. Nathan is a man. Nathan is the leader of our football club, he’s the captain of our football club and Nathan had the opportunity at the end of this season to walk away on a free transfer and probably go and earn double or treble what I’m paying him to stay here.

“A big part of this press conference is to show where this football club is at the moment and hopefully where this football club is going. Nathan feels and I feel that we’ve got something very special at this football club at this moment in time.

“We haven’t got anything and we haven’t won anything; all we’ve done is started 10 games well but in all my time in football I’ve never seen such a hungry group with such togetherness as this side. Along with the manager and the coach, Luke, I think we’ve got something very special here.

“It was the quickest negotiation I’ve ever had. Financially this boy could have moved and had his pick of Championship clubs who would have taken him for nothing but he chose to stay and I think it shows where we’re at with this football club at the moment.

“I felt it was important as the chairman to come, speak with you this morning and sit alongside Nathan. It’s a massive, massive signing for this club that the leader of this group has decided to stay with us and gamble his own future because he must feel there is something very special here that he wants to be part of.

“I think it is a big day in what we’re doing at this football club.”

Thompson was the subject of interest of a number of clubs, including Peterborough United and Leeds United, over the course of the summer and would have seen his previous contract expire at the end of this season had he not agreed new terms in Wiltshire.

Given that he could have potentially walked into a more lucrative deal in the Championship, Power was thankful that his star defender chose to remain with the club he’s been at since the age of 12.

“I can’t thank him enough, really. He could walk away from this football club in the summer and have his pick of Championship clubs. He’s decided to stay here and sign a long-term deal here,” he said.

“He could go on and earn two or three times (what he’s current earning). He’s stayed within our budget. He could go and speak to nine or 10 Championship clubs, maybe a Premier League club would take him.

“He’s decided to stay and it’s very, very, very big for this club.”

Thompson and his teammates have made a blistering start to the new campaign, despite being knocked out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy by Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night, and currently sit second in League One.

Power revealed that he always believed the squad were capable of doing “something special” in 2014/15 and was at pains to conceal his own hopes and dreams for the rest of the coming campaign.

He said: “In the summer I said to them that I expected them to be challenging this season. I had no doubt in my mind. It’s very easy for me to say that now because we’re sitting second but I was very confident we’d have a team that will mount a challenge this season.

“I’m not saying we’re getting promoted, I’m not saying that. All I’m saying we’ve had a fantastic start and I expect us to be there or thereabouts throughout the season. There are going to be dips and that’s why I need everyone to stick together.

“We’re going to go somewhere and get hammered, we’re going to go through two or three games not playing well because they’re a young team but this team is very, very special.

“No one sees how hard they work and the togetherness is unbelievable. Nathan is the leader of that group, he’s got the respect of the dressing room and he’s a major signing for us at the right time. I expect now for other people to look at this.”

Next on the agenda for Power is dealing with the remainder of players whose contracts at Town run out at the end of June.

Andy Williams, Wes Foderingham, Nathan Byrne, Raphael Branco and Ben Gladwin are among those who could potentially leave on a free transfer in the summer as things stand but, with Jake Reeves set to agree new terms next week, the chairman revealed further negotiations are well under way.

“We’re speaking to four or five players at the moment about extensions and other contracts,” he said. “When we have news of that I’ll let yourselves know.”

Having launched a new ticket initiative earlier this week, with six or eight-match packages at cut prices designed to entice stay-away fans back to the County Ground, Power took time to outline where the club stands financially.

He revealed that he has now pumped in £3.5million since assuming control of the Robins, reducing the playing budget to £1.8million annually in the process.

However, he needs the support of the fans to continue the push towards self-sustainability.

“It’s well documented that this football club has lost a lot of money. I’m up to £3.5million that I’ve invested in this place. We’ve got it to break even now, the football club doesn’t lose money but that’s based on attendances that were there last year. They’re not there at the moment,” he said.

“Any money I put into this football club I like to put into making signings like Nathan and other people like I’ve demonstrated I will do, rather than filling holes because that’s what’s happened in years gone by.

“I think the football club has come away in the last 18 months. I don’t want anyone to get carried away, all I’m saying is the football club is breaking even, we’ve got a team of assets, a young team, a team that I’m proud of and a team the people of Swindon should be proud of.

“While we’ve started this well we need everyone to get together now, to come down. These boys deserve to be playing in front of full houses. The football they’ve been playing has been phenomenal and I expect that will carry on until the end of the season.

“I don’t know any other club that’s sitting second, just off the top, and is discounting tickets. If you do then let me know and I’ll give them a ring and ask why.”

Power, like his manager Mark Cooper and the players, continues to prove doubters around the club wrong – with tantalising football on the pitch complemented by a seemingly frugal yet sensible approach off it.

The Town owner feels fans and critics are starting to be won over after a harsh reception.

“We do everything backwards here at the moment but it seems to work for us. When I came into the football club I think Idi Amin or Saddam Hussein might have been more welcome than I was,” he said.

“I’d like to think now people can see the reasons why I came into the football club, the good in what I’m doing.

“It was the same with the manager. Why are we bringing the manager in? Now everyone is singing Mark’s name. It’s the same with the players. The majority of the players no one else wanted.

“I’d like to see the majority of people can see what we’re doing here. We’ve wiped the debt out of the football club, the club’s breaking even, we’ve got a team of assets on the football pitch. That’s the job I came in to do and I’d like to think myself, the manager and the players have done our bit.

“It’s only a good start, we’re not getting carried away, but now we do need help and that’s why we’re discounting tickets sitting second in the league. It doesn’t happen. I don’t know what else we can do now. That’s it now. It’s over to you. We need the supporters’ help.

“Anyone who’s seen our games – these boys deserve to be playing in front of full houses.”

Getting supporters through the turnstiles has not proved to be an easy task this season, however, with Swindon averaging attendances of less than 7,000 for home games.

“I was brought up on a council estate, I know how hard it is to get money in difficult times,” accepted Power. “My counter argument to that is if you come to every game this season it’s cheaper than last year. I don’t understand why 8,500 people turned up last year and only 7,000 are turning up this year. Maybe someone can tell me.

“I don’t want to harp on about that, it’s happening for whatever reason. All I’d ask is if people like to pay to watch football I don’t think they’ll see better football than they can here.

“I’m not saying we’re going to turn teams over and win by fours and fives every week, I’d say we’ve got a team for Swindon people to be proud of and all we’re asking is if they want to support the football club now’s the time they need to do it.”

In order to stick to the budget, too, Power emphasised that he needs supporters to return to the County Ground.

When asked whether the current budget would create self-sustainability with crowds of 7,000, Power said: “No. If we’re still getting just under seven thousand people it’s simple maths. I’ve got to start filling holes. Whether I’m the wealthiest man in the world or not, I’m not saying I wouldn’t be prepared to do it but I don’t think any business should be run like that.

“The fact was last year I had a good idea in my mind we’d be up there challenging but I can’t see any reason or logic why we’ve lost 1,000 people when we are where we are in the league. It makes no sense to me.

“I’m hoping the people come back quickly enough. If they don’t then it puts more pressure on me having to sell someone because ultimately the football club can’t run at a loss. I won’t let it run at a loss because I won’t let the football club be put in jeopardy any more. It’s done that for the last 20 years.

“That’s one thing I promised I wouldn’t do.”

Meanwhile, Power and director Sangita Shah continue to discuss improvements to the club’s infrastructure, including a new training ground. Currently two sites, both out of town, are being considered at present – though Power would prefer to remain in the borough if at all possible.

“We’re speaking to two parties to see whether we can have a new home by the start of next season – our own, bespoke home rather than begging and stealing,” he said.

“The problem is there’s nowhere in the Borough of Swindon so we’re having to look externally, which isn’t a help really. I’m scratching my head again and I’d rather stay here. If the council’s listening or anyone is listening, we haven’t got a site, we can’t find one. If they have brilliant.

“We’d like to stay in Swindon because we’re Swindon Town.”