Town made a surprise bid to sign a striker ahead of yesterday's transfer deadline. The Blues had been understood to be interested in strengthening their backline and not adding another attacker to their squad.

Boss Joe Royle said a deal briefly looked close: "At one stage it looked like we were going to get somebody but in the end it didn't happen."

A newspaper report yesterday claimed Town were set to sign a young loan player from Spurs, although there appears no obvious striker target amongst Tottenham's squad.

Icelandic reports of Town interest in Halmstad frontman Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson seem unlikely with the cash-strapped Blues in no position to pay a fee for the 23-year-old Iceland international.

Royle's switch to looking for new striking options appears to be the result of his side's lack of a goal threat this season, even in games they have won, and the addition of Blackburn's Jay McEveley to the squad on a season-long loan.

McEverley, primarily a left-back, can also play at centre-half, while Fabian Wilnis has impressed Royle while at the heart of the backline during Jason De Vos's absence. The Canadian expects to be available for Town's next game at Sheffield United a week on Saturday.

The Football League has relaxed the loan rules this season in order to help clubs outside the transfer windows. It is currently unclear how this 'emergency' procedure will work but it is unlikely to be too strict with the League unhappy at FIFA's imposition of the windows.

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