Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that midfielder Byron Lawrence can leave the Blues on a permanent basis. The 18-year-old joined League One Colchester United on trial last week.

Lawrence, who joined the academy from Histon as a schoolboy, broke through into the Town first-team squad as a 15-year-old when he was an unused sub in the 2-1 Carling Cup defeat to Northampton in August 2011.

He became the club’s second-youngest first-team player behind Connor Wickham when he came on as a sub aged 16 years and 47 days on the final day of the 2011/12 season in the 3-2 victory at Doncaster, but has not added to that appearance.

“It’s with a view to a permanent move,” McCarthy confirmed. “If he can get a move Byron is available.

“He hasn’t progressed enough to get in the first team. He’s now at that age where if he’s not going to progress into the first team he’s got to go and get something else.”

Lawrence, who is contracted to Town until next June, is set to play for Colchester’s U21s away against Crystal Palace at Tooting and Mitcham today, having impressed U’s academy manager Tony Humes - who occupied a similar role with Town between 2006 and 2009 - during last week’s 0-0 draw at Sheffield United.

"Byron Lawrence played the whole match in our midfield three and was good on the ball,” said the former Blues centre-half.

“He also showed a very good awareness of how we want to play the game here at Colchester United and settled into it extremely quickly.”

Photo: Action Images

alexsmith111 added 11:45 - Aug 26 Starting to get quite chapped off now!!
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Scuzzer added 11:51 - Aug 26 Hmm...Col Who playing the proper sort of football...and being in real danger of getting relegated this season.
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Fat_Boy_Tim added 12:11 - Aug 26 Do calm down dears! He didn't exactly set the second tier of reserve football alight last year and he's away on trial with Colchester, not Man City!!
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happybeingblue added 12:13 - Aug 26 why doesnt evans give mick some cash ?? then he might actually have a chance!!!!!
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ArnieM added 12:17 - Aug 26 Tractamatt: there's a lot of drama queens on here at present who cant seem to grasp whats goingbon at the Club under the FFP rules. We appear to be clearing the decks to allow for one or two quality loanees to come in. Sometimes what seems to be an absolutely barmy decision has very well thought through rationale behind that decision. I have no doubts that MM, Evans, Klug, TC and the scouts are all pulling in the same direction and DO have a considered plan to put this Club back in the PL. But it takes time and stages to be accomplished. I recal one of the top honchos stating avfew months ago thst as a ckub we are aiming to move toward specific high quality , young players. Mostly on long loans from the top 4 PL Clubs. I doubt nothing has changed from this plan, and part of that plan is to shift out players that dont fit this plan. We are down to the bare bones to enable other targets to be brought in. The days of adding players before we clear out the dead wood are long gone as we are now operating within these stringent FFP financial constraints. The wage bill at PR is very much under control at last. Keep faith in MM and his team. They do know what they are doing.

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TimmyH added 12:18 - Aug 26 I should think there might be another 1 or 2 out before we get our Premiership loan player - every penny counts! As I said at the beginning of the season before a ball was kicked Mick is not only the manager but the accountant too.
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kesgrave_bluey added 12:25 - Aug 26 @AnrsieM Well that's the plan. I don't have a problem with it. But can MM deliver it if we are bottom 6 and playing football from the 1980's. Would a club want to loan their best for MM?
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pooman1489 added 12:25 - Aug 26 Well he got really good on football manager when I was in the champions league
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ArnieM added 12:26 - Aug 26 You only have to go onto the sports pages to see clubs taking on loan PL players. Ie Derby have just taken Shotton from Stoke, on loan. MM and Town are targetting younger quality players. Personally ive still not given up hope of seeing Williams back here. But we have to wait.
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Surco72 added 12:35 - Aug 26 Why do we have to wait ? Premier clubs are loaning already , the managers know who will be involved and who will not already . Hence the likes of Garvan and Collison have been training with us both of whom would do a better job alongside Hyam . I would imagine Holloway will sign one of them for Millwall
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runningout added 12:36 - Aug 26 Harsh moves like this are what our club needed while ago, at least it's been done now
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blueherts added 12:37 - Aug 26 So this is the same manager that everyone is slating that bought Henshall Stewart and last season JW on loan Yes like Ronan Murray Jai Reason and we could go on they were good footballer at 15. I can only assume people on here have seen a lot of Lawrence play athigh levels if he is ready to start in midfield Of course Saturday was pants but I do not think Lawrence is the answer Maybe Mick has said right offload the excess and bring in some quality Let's keep our powder dry over next few weeks I remember WBA playing great football and getting relegated. I hate to break it you folks but over past 30 years we have had afew good years but I think post 'the Robson era' very little 'total football' If Mick can get the width and pace in the team, and I think he has/can we will be ok!

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Surco72 added 13:01 - Aug 26 blueherts... Henshall cannot get in the team above Tabb . Stewart is yet to prove himself and for every JW loan there are 5 that added nothing (good young players from premiership clubs !!) We have a squad of 17 to pick from for Saturdays game and they are not as good as last years squad
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Superblue95 added 13:08 - Aug 26 Calm down folks we still have plenty of quality in our midfield, just look at Skuse and Tabb. Oh wait....
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TimmyH added 13:17 - Aug 26 It just seems odd that MM is having a clear out now (along with other players, Nouble, Taylor, Woody etc.)...shouldn't this have been done pre-season?...why now? clubs in a right state and I can't help thinking money is totally governing things.
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gibbo added 13:27 - Aug 26 So our small squad gets smaller
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blueboy1981 added 13:27 - Aug 26 ......... he's young and obviously keen to pass the ball forward instead of sideways or backwards - therefore he doesn't fit the McCarthy bill. This Manager has become as big a joke as his two predecessors - no choice but to go - otherwise he will drag us into total obscurity with his tactics and stubbornness. Now interested in Collison - another injury prone player - not averaged 10 games per season over the last 10 seasons. Some record hey - for anyone to be interested in.

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blueboy1981 added 13:30 - Aug 26 ....... sorry, mistake - last 7 seasons, which doesn't make it much better.
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blueboy1981 added 13:33 - Aug 26 .......... everything McCarthy is saying or doing at present is kamikaze style in terms of damage to our Club - HE HAS TO GO. And the sooner the better.
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IvorFeeling added 14:03 - Aug 26 ArnieM - with your tag name your know and probably watched the elite teams of the past. Whilst i except we know have to cut a different cloth and manage our finances accordingly it doesn't mean we have to accept hoofball. There are many players in the lower leagues and probaby in acadamey that can play decent stuff but its now scrappers and battlers what we want. I ask again as an open question to all on here and to the ITFC hieracy what is our playing philosphy. From here we adopt a culture, an ethos and build a plan. What our philosphy is, imo, is trying not to get beat. This breeds negativity and crushes creativity and stops players from developing - if you are scared to lose then you will lose. Our current don't lose and scrap policy is a failed policy on so many grounds but if, by some miracle we made it to the PL this way we would either come striaght back down or have to buy 10-15 players just to try and stay there thus break the FP rules. Miick and his current style is like being caught by a boa constricter - there is no way out and death is slow your life is being sucked away from you.

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Harlowtractorboy added 14:19 - Aug 26 I am getting fed up seeing these young players going. I through Mick said he was gonna play some off them. What is the matter do they pass the ball instead of hoffing it all the time .
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kerryblue added 15:01 - Aug 26 Another kop out by Mick and Tc,why can't you bring on and improve our youngsters?
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halsteadblue added 15:07 - Aug 26 Will the last person to leave please turn out the lights,thank you............
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halsteadblue added 15:14 - Aug 26 Clearly Byron has far to much technical ability for MM to handle,no doubt soon to be replaced by a six foot plus built like a brick sh@thouse who can run around all day who`s also good at playing hoofball.
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kesgrave_bluey added 15:18 - Aug 26 its not looking good, youth not good enough, cheap lower league players not good enough, any players with any value ship them out. the current 11, 4 points from the bottom six clubs. 17th in league so will get the pick of the loan players? no money to spend and a MM jabbering like my granny season over already, mid table to relegation scrap beckons
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