http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/3821919.Cox___I_want_to_stay_/Cox: 'I want to stay'
9:10am Thursday 6th November 2008
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By Gareth Moorhouse »
SIMON Cox has assured his adoring Swindon Town fans he is in it for the long haul at the County Ground, after rumours linking him with a move away from the Wiltshire club.
The striker, pictured below, has been a revelation since his permanent switch from M4 rivals Reading in January, with 14 goals to his name already this campaign.
Saturday’s hat-trick at League One leaders Scunthorpe prompted fresh speculation Cox could soon be snapped up, but the 21-year-old insists he has no desire to leave.
“I will stay at Swindon Town as long as I am allowed to stay,” Cox told the Advertiser.
“If I am offered a new contract at the end of my current one I would be happy to stay at Swindon.
“I know I will get a fair crack of the whip here and I am really enjoying my football.
“For me that’s the most important thing.
“The only time I would leave is if somebody put in a ridiculous offer and Swindon agreed it was the best thing for them as a club.
“That would be the only reason I would leave, not because I want to.”
Town boss Maurice Malpas stated on Tuesday he would sell Cox “over my dead body,” as he looks to hang onto his star asset.
The player admits his current goalscoring form could attract interest from Championship clubs, but Cox is determined to reach the second tier of English football with his current employers.
“If a bid does come in then that’s out of my hands,” said the League One PFA Player of the Month.
“Whatever happens is down to Swindon Town and anyone that might come in for me.
“If I was to leave and go to a club with the same amount of strikers as Swindon, I could be bottom of the list. That would be going back to the same situation I had at Reading, and I don’t want that.
“It’s never 100 per cent sure that you will be starting, but at least here I am playing regular football.
“We seem to have turned the corner lately and hopefully we can keep moving forward as a team and as a club. If we keep doing that, hopefully better times are ahead and one day we will be in the Championship.”
Cox has now turned his attention to gunning down non-league Histon in Saturday’s FA Cup opener, though he admits he may need a little help from his friends.
“I might be a marked man on Saturday, but that will probably be a good thing for the team,” he said.
“If two or three players are closing me down that gives more space to Billy and the other boys.
“We have plenty of players in the team who can hurt Histon, but we have to match them for effort. If we do that we should have enough quality to come through.”
