Coe not the one for Town

THE chances of a new signing coming in to Portman Road before the weekend looked very remote, while the Blues will not be taking their interest in defender Darren Coe any further.

Town boss Joe Royle last night said he had been impressed with the way Newmarket Town defender Coe had coped in the Reserves' 2-0 loss against Fulham on Monday but would not be offering him anything.

Royle said: “Darren did fine but at 25 he is probably going to struggle to make it at this level now. We have looked at him for a while and he is a good player at his standard.

“He helped us out and we had a closer look but we have Chris Casement to come back in for the reserves when he is not involved in the youth team.”

Coe moved to Histon in a £7,000 deal in the summer but returned to the Jockeys after failing to see eye-to-eye with manager John Beck and not getting enough games.

But he will always have the memory of playing at Portman Road and could get another chance if the Blues need emergency cover again.

Coe will have to stick with his day job as a carpenter for now but still has not given up hope of finding a breakthrough.

He said: “I felt comfortable in the second half of the game on Monday and I feel I have it in me to play at a higher standard. It is a case of me biding my time and hoping I get another chance.”

After a more-than-credible draw with second-placed Sheffield United, Royle is likely to stick with the same 18-man squad to take on Southampton on Saturday.

Royle is still looking to bring in a player before the end of the transfer window, although he will have the emergency loan breathing space if he doesn't succeed.

He said: “It is unlikely that we will get anyone in before Saturday, unlikely but not impossible. I would still like to bring in another forward this month.”

Adam Proudlock is close to getting fit and is pencilled in for the reserve game against West Ham on Tuesday, while Nicky Forster is still not ready to join the squad.