Swindon Town boss David Flitcroft urges fans to remember the level Tom Smith is currently working at

David Flitcroft is impressed with Tom Smith's form at Bath City, but the Swindon manager wants fans to remember the level Smith is playing at before wanting him in the first-team.

Smith, 19, is coming to the end of his second spell at Bath this season. He was initially loaned out to the National League South outfit in October for a month, but was recalled early due to a raft of injuries at Swindon.

Once they cleared up, he was shipped out to Bath again for two months and he is due to return for a second time on January 6.

Over the course of his two spells with the Romans, Smith has scored five goals, with two of them coming in the A4 Derby against Chippenham, which Bath won 3-0.

Swindon's professional academy graduates have had first-team opportunities hard to come by this season so far.

Goalkeeper Will Henry and Smith have both started one EFL Trophy match each and Smith started the League Cup defeat to Norwich, but that is all.

As well as Smith, Henry, Jake Evans, Tommy Ouldridge and Scott Twine have all been loaned out to various destinations in the first half of the season.

Evans and Ouldridge are currently at Farnborough and Cirencester respectively, while Henry and Twine have been unable to get onto the pitch since they returned from Dunstable and Chippenham. Jordan Young is both not around the first-team and has not found a club to spend time on loan at.

Without question though, Smith is the man who has got the most attention from fans with regards to getting a go for the seniors, given his multiple man-of-the-match awards at Twerton Park and the poor form of centre midfielders James Dunne and Amine Linganzi.

Flitcroft is less than enamoured by the level Smith is currently playing at however, citing Swindon's 5-0 win over Dartford in the first round of the FA Cup.

When asked what Smith has to do to get a run in the first-team, Flitcroft replied:

"When we beat Dartford, you can see the level, if you do know football, you can see the level, we were absolutely far too superior for Dartford - that's the level Tom's playing at at the minute.

"[He is] a local lad and fans love having him in and around what we're doing.

"In hindsight, do I wish I'd have sent him out? Probably not. With the glut of games we've had, probably wish I'd have kept him but now he's there we've got to make sure he's performing well in training and performing for Bath.

"But let's also understand the levels we're working at."