Town first team coach Bryan Klug has confirmed that Gillingham striker Simeon Jackson is a player he rates very highly and says club owner Marcus Evans will continue to provide cash to strengthen the squad when the transfer window opens on January 1st.

Jackson, 21, was first linked with the Blues by a national newspaper earlier in the month.

Klug revealed that the diminutive frontman has already spent time at Playford Road: "I know Simeon very well. He came over to Ipswich as a schoolboy and trained with us.

"Steve Foley and I had been over in Canada coaching and we saw him, and I have followed his progress since then.

"In my opinion Simeon can be a top Championship level footballer and I base that on having seen him play for Gillingham and couple of times and when he has scored against us [in friendlies for the Gills and former club Rushden].

"He is a talented boy and could play in the Championship, whether that is for us is something else.”

Klug says there is money there for further player purchases during January, with a left-sided midfielder, a central defender and striker likely to be top of Jim Magilton's wish list: "Marcus has been magnificent for this football club. I'm sure he still has a few quid left and will continue to provide funds when needed.

"We are monitoring the situation at other football clubs. They could be fringe players there that are looking to get away, but it would only be one or two that we would add to our squad and they have to be the right players.”

More players are likely to leave than come in during January with the Blues keen to reduce the size of the squad. However, it is not a case of having to sell in order to free up cash to bring in new faces.

Meanwhile, Town full-back David Wright has been told he'll never play for Scotland, the country of his month's birth, by former Wigan team-mate Lee McCulloch because he can't drink enough: "I spoke with big Lee the other day when the news first came up about Scotland.

"He actually texted me and said I would never get a cap for Scotland because I can't drink enough.

"That was not a surprise and I had a smile about it. We also had a bit of a chat about things and I also talk to Gary Teale, another friend from my Wigan days.

"It's all very exciting and to be honest a little bit unexpected in terms of timing."

Elsewhere, thieves have stolen £2,000 of Christmas presents bought for terminally-ill children by the Town squad.

The gifts were due to be given out at the East Anglian Children's Hospice, but were reported to be missing from Portman Road, as were mobile phones, a laptop and some cash.

The squad held a whip-round to replace the stolen items. Earlier in the month, laptops were stolen from the club's Playford Road training ground.

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