Martin Ling: Swindon Town appoint former Torquay boss

League One side Swindon Town have named former player Martin Ling as first-team manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Ling, 49, played 190 times for the club in two different spells, helping them to the Premier League in 1993.

"It's important you understand how the club was to supporters," the ex-Torquay boss told BBC Points West.

"Swindon have been a big part of my life in football. It feels really good and it's about getting the club up the league as soon as possible."

His first taste of management came in 2003 with a five-and-a-half-year stint at Leyton Orient, before spells at Cambridge United and Torquay.

Chairman Lee Power had been in charge at the County Ground following Mark Cooper's sacking on 17 October.

Swindon are 23rd in the League One table and without a win in 11 games.

"I think they are in a false position, I really do. I watch an awful lot of League One football," Ling added.

Chairman Lee Power was in charge for three league games, earning one point

"I have been doing some scouting work and watched Swindon last year. They were scintillating to watch - and I was always excited to go and watch them."

Ling lasted just three months at Swindon during his first spell as a player in 1986, before returning in 1991 where he stayed for more than five seasons.

After retiring from playing in 2000, he won promotion from League Two while manager of Orient on the final day of the 2005-06 campaign but left the club in January 2009 with the O's in the relegation zone of the third tier.

He took over at non-league Cambridge in July 2009 but resigned after only nine days, with the club stating "irreconcilable differences between Ling and chairman George Rolls".

Ling did return though after Rolls resigned two days later but he was sacked in February 2011.

After 18 months in charge at Torquay he stepped away from Plainmoor in January 2013 because of a stress-related illness and was expected to return, but the club terminated his contract three months later.

Ling, who more recently has been doing some scouting work for Walsall, will take charge of the Robins for the first time on Saturday, in an away FA Cup first-round tie at Rochdale.