'Swindon's budget has gone up' - Morfuni

Swindon owner Clem Morfuni has been meeting with the club's supporters trust

Swindon Town owner Clem Morfuni said the club will have a "healthy" budget for the new season with the aim of getting promoted to League One.

The Robins finished 19th in League Two after one of their worst campaigns in recent seasons in the English Football League.

The club have since appointed former Lincoln City and Macclesfield boss Mark Kennedy as their new head coach ahead of the new campaign.

"The budget’s gone up. Our budget’s quite healthy this season and you’ll see that will be reflected in the players we’ll sign," Morfuni told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

"When I spoke to Mark Kennedy in regards to the size of the budget and what we need to get promoted, and we told him the budget, he was quite pleased and was like, 'That’s achievable.'"

The Australian businessman took over Swindon in July 2021 after a lengthy legal battle, but over the last 12 months his relationship with the supporters has become fractured.

In May, fan group Trust STFC wrote an open letter calling for a change of ownership and said they had "lost confidence and trust" in the leadership.

Morfuni, who met with the supporter's trust while on his visit to Swindon, said the only way to win back fans' faith was through how the team performed next season.

"It’s about what we do on the pitch. I can say a lot of things but it comes down to action," he said.

"I think we’ve started to show that in regards to the manager and [signing] Ollie Clarke and getting more signings in. That’s going to prove what we’re doing."

Morfuni reiterated that he would be open to selling if the right buyer came along, but that he still has ambitions for the club.

"If someone can do a better job than me and has got the funds to put it forward then come to the party but if they’re not I’m fully committed to the club."

"Has it been tough? Yeah, it’s been tough for the last few months, it’s been difficult, and we’ve had to put more money in.

He added: "Coming 19th is not great last season and we need to improve that and copping the flack that I have it hasn’t been pleasant. But you’ve got to take the highs and the lows and keep moving forward.

"We’ve got a plan and we’ve got to stick to the plan - getting promoted and sorting out the stadium."