A DECISION to expand Brunel FM's match day commentary to a wider audience has failed to appease Swindon Town football fans.

Supporters were angry last month when Brunel FM took over coverage of the games from BBC Radio Swindon after 18 years.

It meant loyal fans were unable to listen to their team if they lived in certain areas of Wiltshire, as Brunel's coverage did not extend that far.

Now the radio station and Swindon Town FC have bowed to fan pressure and announced that full match commentary for both home and away games will also be carried by Brunel's sister station 3TR, in West Wiltshire.

But Paul Davis, who is the chairman of Swindon Town Supporters' Trust, which has 950 members, has said although he welcomes the increased coverage, it will still leave many fans in the dark.

He said: "I'm glad Brunel FM has recognised this as an important issue but this still doesn't go far enough.

"We welcome the extended coverage for these fans, but it will still mean a substantial amount of other fans will not be able to get match commentary.

"This only deals with coverage in west Wiltshire. What about fans who live in other areas of Wiltshire and on the borders?

"The new fixtures have just come out and looking down it a game away to Carlisle on a Tuesday night in December stands out.

"I can't imagine more than 100 travelling up there and those who don't go won't be able to listen to commentary unless they pay for an unreliable internet service."

As it stands, fans who are unfortunate enough not to have radio access would have to pay a subscription fee of £34 to listen to their team online on STFC World.

Swindon Town media manager Chris Tanner said: "We are very pleased Brunel FM decided to expand their service.

"We are still having further discussions with the radio station to try to improve services for fans and these are ongoing."

Brunel FM programme controller Craig Rance said: "When we announced that we were to be the official radio station for full match commentary for Swindon Town FC, we received some correspondence from fans who were concerned that they would not be able to listen to games in west Wiltshire.

"We are delighted that we can now confirm that all of West Wiltshire will be able to hear the commentary on 3TR FM."

Jonathon Fido, the programme controller of 3TR FM, added: "I'm really pleased to be able to bring commentary on Swindon Town to our listeners in west Wiltshire.

"The popularity of the club spreads across the county and we're glad we can provide this service to the fans."

Brunel FM can be found on 107.7 and its sister station 3TR is available on 107.5 with websites www.brunelfm.com or www.3trfm.co.uk giving more information.