THE Swindon Advertiser was this morning barred from Swindon Town's pre-match press conference ahead of their Sky Bet League One match against Coventry on Monday night.

Chief sports writer Tom Bassam was refused entry to the regular twice-weekly press call with manager Mark Cooper and a Town player at the County Ground, with club officials stating it was at the request of chairman Lee Power.

While members of the local media were shown to the club's press room, Bassam was initially denied access by the club's media officer.

When challenged over the action, STFC general manager Steve Anderson was then summoned and revealed the exclusion was at the request of chairman Power, who felt "he got the coverage he wanted from other media outlets in Swindon.''

Again challenged about whether the ban was as a result of any specific articles published by the Swindon Advertiser, Anderson refused to elaborate, repeating that it was at the request of the chairman.

The Advertiser subsequently left the County Ground.

Today's denial of access follows weeks of arbitrary action taken by the club against the Swindon Advertiser, going back to the middle of December and beyond.

These have included the refusal by the club to allow officials, managerial staff and players to field enquiries or answer questions from Swindon Advertiser journalists.

The Advertiser has repeatedly asked the club, via a long-running series of emails, phone calls and face-to-face conversations, for their reasons for the action and the specific nature of the club's apparent displeasure.

Swindon Town has failed to respond to these requests and, in most cases, even acknowledge their receipt.

In recent weeks, the Advertiser has run stories on the club being taken to court by the council over non-payment of its rent on the County Ground, chairman Lee Power being in dispute with the administrators of St John Law over unpaid legal fees for representing him in last summer’s court case and Southern League side Redditch United submitting an official complaint to the FA over what it considered an illegal approach for their former striker Jermaine Hylton.

On Monday, January 5, at Swindon County Court, Judge Field accepted an agreement between the club and council over the unpaid rent.

The club have also stressed that Lee Power disputed any alleged sums owing to St John Law and that he, not the club, was personally liable any alleged unpaid fees.

The Advertiser understands that they will still be permitted by the club to attend matches at the County Ground.

Advertiser editor Gary Lawrence said: "This morning's action is the regrettable culmination of weeks of a near-total lack of co-operation from Swindon Town towards the Swindon Advertiser and is not only disappointing, but ultimately self-defeating.

"As is our standard practice with stories published by the Swindon Advertiser in relation to Swindon Town, club officials have been asked for their observations, comments or reaction by our journalists along every step of the way.

"For reasons known only to itself, the club has either rejected the opportunity to respond, which is of course its prerogative, or, in more recent times, refused to acknowledge or completely ignored approaches made by the Advertiser.

"I remain disappointed and upset for our hard-working staff, readers and Town fans that the chairman has been unable to give me an explanation for the ban or even attempted to find a solution.

"We can all speculate as to the reasons for the club's displeasure, but given that a variety of issues regarding Swindon Town have been reported on across a variety of media outlets in recent times, it would appear this latest action is purely arbitrary.

"With the club riding high at the top of the league and the club hopeful that people will become genuinely engaged with their fortunes, it seems bizarre that the club wish to cut off its main route for 'spreading its message' through not only Swindon but beyond into wider Wiltshire via the Advertiser's sister paper.

"As has been made clear to STFC on countless occasions, the Advertiser remains ready to meet with club officials to discuss the apparent source of their unhappiness and plot the best route forward. Up to this point, the club appears unwilling to engage in any sort of sensible, rational and reasoned discussion.

"In the meantime, the Adver and its staff remain committed to reporting the highs and lows of the football club fairly and from all sides, as it has throughout its long history. This will not affect the excellent daily coverage we bring our readers of the club both in print and online. Nor will it stop us continuing as a club sponsor."

The club have declined to comment on the matter.