DEFENDER Joe Tomlinson posted a heartfelt goodbye to Swindon Town on Twitter after confirming his season is over due to a knee injury.

Tomlinson is thought to have picked up the issue during a 50-50 challenge with Leyton Orient's Theo Archibald earlier this month and was forced off at half-time of the 2-1 defeat.

After head coach Ben Garner revealed the Peterborough United loanee would almost certainly not return before the end of the season - play-offs or not - the Chiseldon-born defender wrote a message on Twitter to confirm the news.

He said: "Unfortunately my season and my time at @officialstfc is over.

"Not many players get to say they played for their hometown club and I loved every minute of it!

"The players and staff have been fantastic and I’ll continue to support the boys in their fight for promotion!

"Thank you to the amazing fans, I didn’t get to play in front of you as much as I would like but when I did your support was brilliant and I can’t thank you enough! See you all soon x 🔴⚪️#stfc"

After joining Town on deadline day in January, the 21-year-old scored on his debut in a 2-1 defeat against Exeter City before assisting three times in nine further appearances.

Initially having his loan spell disrupted by a groin issue, Tomlinson came back at the start of April and continued to impress fans with his all-action attacking displays from full-back.

Tomlinson's ability to play with both feet added a dimension to his game which League Two defences endured a tough time dealing with, and he would no doubt have played a significant part in Swindon's attempt to gain promotion via the League Two play-offs.