Swindon Town have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Jack Bycroft from Southampton – so what will the new man add to Swindon between the sticks?

After losing Murphy Mahoney to injury against Tranmere Rovers, Town have been on the search for a new number one and have made the move to bring in Bycroft.

The 22-year-old came through the academy at Southampton but has plenty of experience in non-league with multiple clubs, most notably with Taunton Town last season in National League South before having two spells in the fifth tier this term at Aldershot Town and Oxford City.

He was particularly impressive with Taunton, being named in the National League South team of the season as well as winning the club’s Supporters' Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year during his time in Somerset.

BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins was particularly impressed by the goalkeeper having watched him at Wordsworth Drive.

He said: “I kept having to remind myself that he'll probably leave Taunton at some point because he was a class above. Everyone I spoke to told me that he was the best ‘keeper of that season in the division.

“I give the Taunton defence a lot of credit in that season for how few goals they managed to concede, but Bycroft played a huge part in Taunton conceding as little as they did. Wonderful point-blank saves and diving efforts kept a lot of the National League South opposition at bay.”

Mahoney impressed during his time at the County Ground, particularly with his feet as Michael Flynn often described him as being like an extra outfielder, which was one of the key reasons that he was searching for a different option to Lewis Ward. During his Town debut against Crewe Alexandra, Bycroft played shorter less often but was supremely accurate with his long kicks and was a yard away from an Ederson-like assist to Dawson Devoy during the second half.

“The little bit that we have spoken, we spoke about that on the coach and in the dressing room,” said Bycroft, “Charlie was coming in and dragging the centre half and the Dawson is going to make that third man run in behind. If he was a little bit quicker or my kick was a little bit slower then that would have been nice.

“I liked that we could vary it today, it was a bit difficult with the pitch because it was hard and bobbly, and we learned that and had to adapt. I like that we can play both ways and I am sure that it will be effective for the rest of the year.”

Lewis Wiseman of the Somerset County Gazette said: “His distribution wasn't poor by any means; it would just be fair to say Taunton don't play a style of football that encourages playing out from the back. The Peacocks like a direct style so often Bycroft would launch long-range passes to the forwards or wide players, and he was fairly consistent in making those passes count.”

Both Wiseman and Perkins agreed that the boyhood Town fan’s strengths were in the traditional abilities of a goalkeeper. Wiseman said that he was every bit the traditional shot-stopper and would make countless crucial saves for the Peacocks.

Perkins said: “He'd come for crosses when corners were swung in, but he would always stand big and tall when the opposition were on the attack. Jack would always come for crosses when they were close enough to him or would attempt to punch balls out of his box if they were a little further away from him.”