Swindon Town have completed the signing of Mansfield Town striker Tom Nichols on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Nichols becomes Town’s first signing of the January transfer window, making his long-awaited arrival having been on trial at The Nigel Eady County Ground in the summer of 2020 under Richie Wellens.

The 31-year-old has made almost 500 career appearances, scoring more than 100 goals having come through the academy at Exeter City and gone on to play at Peterborough United, Bristol Rovers, and many other clubs at League One and League Two level.

After joining Mansfield halfway through last season, Nichols will be at Swindon for the next six months, when his deal with The Stags also expires.

Ian Holloway said of his first signing as Swindon Boss: “I have been a Tom Nichols fan for years and I have tried to sign him three different times at three different clubs.

“What he does is that he links play, he has got a fantastic football brain, and he is never beaten at all in his life and he will always fight.

“He is not prolific but what he does is make goals for everybody else as well as the ones that he scores.

“If you treat him right and you love him up then he shines.

“He never shies away from a challenge and he works harder than anybody else but his football brain is exactly what I am looking for to link play.

“Tom will give us exactly what we haven’t got, he will be a front and he will come off and link the play.

“I can play him in a two and I can play him in a three or as a real ten because he is a player who will make runs in behind but he holds the ball up for us when we haven’t got [Harry] Smith.”

Nichols signed for Mansfield last January and helped them to promotion but has seen his playing time limited since their promotion to the third tier and has dropped back down to add more experience to the Swindon squad.

The striker said: “It has been close a few times before, I came on trial here but we never got it over the line and now I am really pleased to be here.

“He [Holloway] didn’t have to say too much because as soon as I heard of the interest I wanted to come.

“He just said to me that he wants me to be enjoying my football again because that is when I am playing at my best and he said ‘I can bring that out of you’ and that is all he needed to say.

“It is nice to feel wanted and it was a no-brainer because as soon as I knew of the interest, this is where I wanted to come.

“This is a big club and we shouldn’t be where we are in the table and I am going to help get us up the table.”