Swindon Town have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of landing one of their trialists, following confirmation that the player has re-signed for his former club.
The League Two side have had a busy transfer window so far, landing several new faces following their disappointing 2023/24 campaign which almost saw the club be dragged into the relegation battle.
However, journalist Sam Morshead recently confirmed that Swindon Town had three players on trial in the form of John Bostock, Jai Rowe and Will Randall, but it has now been confirmed that one of those is officially off the market.
Rowe returns to Boston
Back in May, Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke confirmed that Rowe was the subject of interest from several EFL sides including Newport County, Doncaster Rovers and Swindon Town, with Rowe featuring in a recent trial game for the latter.
However, National League newcomers Boston United have officially confirmed that Jai Rowe has signed a new contract with the football club ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
There has been no confirmation as to the length of the new contract, but he will be a Boston United player heading into the new season.
How did Rowe fare last season?
The 22-year-old joined Boston United in October 2023, just over three months after he was let go by fellow National League side Aldershot Town.
However, Rowe appeared to use the setback as motivation as he went on to make 31 league appearances for Boston United as well as featuring in all three of their play-off matches.
During that time, the full-back scored five goals and provided a handful of assists as Boston secured promotion back to the National League, beating Brackley Town in the final.
Is this a blow for Swindon Town?
Rowe had plenty of EFL attention but the fact he featured for Swindon Town before opting to re-sign for Boston United certainly leaves more questions than answers.
Although he played sixth-tier football last season, Rowe has made over 60 appearances in League Two for Scunthorpe United and has proven previously that he is more than capable of playing in the fourth tier.
Despite Swindon Town already signing a right-back in the form of Shrewsbury’s Tunmise Sobowale, Rowe is likely to have provided plenty of healthy competition and certainly leaves the club shorter in potential full-back options moving forward.