Drogheda central defender Graham Gartland is again being linked with a January move to the Blues. Boss Jim Magilton is reported to have denied that he has already made a bid for the Irish B international but has confirmed that Gartland is a player he has had watched.

TWTD first reported Town's interest in the 24-year-old three weeks ago when Burnley, Wolves and Leicester City were also said to be chasing the Dubliner.

This latest local paper link appears to come from a TWTD Message Board post by an Irish-based fan earlier in the week which claimed the Blues had agreed a deal with the Eircom League champions for Gartland, with the fee either £400,000 or €400,000.

In addition to his B cap, Gartland has represented the Republic at U14, U16, U18 and U20 levels, and was called into the senior squad for last summer's tour of the US but was forced to drop out.

Gartland played his youth football with Home Farm, where Owen Garvan's father is a coach, before spells as a youth player with Barnsley and Dundee United. He returned to Ireland to play with St Patrick's Athletic and Longford Town, joining Drogheda in 2004.

Town are likely to have sent scouts to the Ireland B international at Airdrie last month in which Gartland impressed when playing alongside Alex Bruce at the centre of the defence.

Drogheda's official website says the Blues regularly sent representatives to monitor Gartland throughout the Irish season, which runs through the summer and ended recently.

The 6ft 1in tall defender, who won this year's Setanta Sports Cup and Eircom League with the Boynesiders, has two years left on his contract.

Meanwhile, a Town supporters' coach on the way to the Boxing Day game at Leicester was in an accident on the A14 at Girton involving four vehicles. One person — not a coach passenger — was taken to hospital but is understood to have suffered only minor injuries.

The accident led to delays on the A14, but fans on the coach involved in the collision made it to the game in time for kick-off via another vehicle.

Elsewhere, former Blue Jason Dozzell is set to appear at South-East Suffolk Magistrates' Court on New Year's Eve to answer a charge of drink-driving. The ex-midfielder was stopped in Cardinal Park in the early hours of Sunday morning after a night out celebrating his 40th birthday along with one-time Town team-mates Chris Kiwomya and John Wark.

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