Town boss Roy Keane says the loanee he is hoping to sign from a Premier League club in the next couple of days is a younger player rather than an experienced campaigner. After last night’s 2-1 Carling Cup win at Millwall Keane revealed that results elsewhere are likely to mean the player he has been after for some weeks will become available.
The Blues boss told the club site that the target is a youngster: "Clubs are reluctant to let experienced players go and older players often have families and don't fancy moving away from home in a loan deal anyway.
"We are short in certain positions on the pitch and we are hoping to have some news over the next day or two on a loan player. The player concerned though is not an experienced player."
Keane was pleased with one of his earlier loan signings at Millwall last night but says there’s more to come from Andros Townsend: "I think Andros is still getting up to speed after being suspended for three weeks. He’ll feel the benefit of playing for 55 minutes. He and Reggie kept getting us up the pitch.”
The Blues boss says his fringe players gave him something to think about at the Den: "I had a good feeling before the game. They all looked pretty focused in the dressing room.
"I made lots of changes but the players who started did well. Colin Healy came in, the boys coming back from injury as well, and there were only pluses.
"The last thing we would have wanted was extra time because I’d made the three substitutions and because we had lads like Mark Kennedy and Damien Delaney who are still getting up to speed.
"It’s given me one or two good headaches for the weekend," he added. "I’m delighted. We got Grant on, Connor’s had another half hour, Jason’s had another half hour, so I’ll have a tough job over the next few days taking stock and looking at the players ahead of Saturday.”
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce says former Town loanee and recent target Jack Colback is very much in his thoughts at the Stadium of Light: "There’s opportunities for Jack here but obviously I’m aware of the great interest there is in taking Jack on loan. For the moment though, he’s very much in our plans.
"I said at the end of last season that Jack would be part of the first team squad and that’s the case as things stand."
Meanwhile, former Blue Jai Reason has left Crawley Town after four months with the Blue Square Premier side, having joined them after leaving Cambridge United in the summer.
Manager Steve Evans said: "We wish Jai every success, he is a smashing lad but the fact is that he has fallen down the pecking order to get a regular start.
"He has several interested clubs in both the Blue Square North and South. He will be an asset to any of them."
Elsewhere, former Blue Titus Bramble and brother Tesfaye have been arrested after an alleged rape at a Newcastle hotel.
Posters are asked not to speculate on the Bramble story.