Sean Friars may be on his way back to his native Northern Ireland for a loan spell with Derry City. Their manager Kevin Mahon is negotiating with Town to try to bring Friars to his hometown club. Last season Friars spent an abortive spell with Derry club when he spent the whole time injured. The Derry manager is also looking to bring in Perry Taylor from Tranmere.

Town's scheduled match to celebrate the opening of Saffron Walden's new ground has been called off because of the weather.

Town manager George Burley has denied any interest in Falkirk teenager Mark Kerr. In fact he seems to show so little interest in the player that he refers to the player as Mark Keen. There is a Mark Keen in British football, he plays in defence for Dagenham and Redbridge. He has has scored three goals in four starts (seven as sub) for the Essex side after joining from Heybridge Swifts. A Freudian slip? Probably not.

George Burley has revealed that he was interested in Mark Kinsella when the Irish international was at Colchester after all. Many Town fans have wondered why Burley, Kinsella's former manager, did not snap the Charlton player up when he was available in Burley's early days as a Town manager. In fact it turns out that it was Burley who recommended Kinsella to Alan Curbishley. The Town manager said: "At that time it was a matter of finance and the fact that we had too many players on our books. I was trying to reduce numbers and we had no urgent need for another midfield player."

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