AFTER suffering a hat-trick of failed transfer bids, since the transfer window reopened in January, Colchester United have finally landed one of their targets.

Carl Marston

AFTER suffering a hat-trick of failed transfer bids, since the transfer window reopened in January, Colchester United have finally landed one of their targets.

The U's have snapped up winger Lewis Gobern on a one-month loan from Wolves, and the 23-year-old could feature against Cheltenham Town this weekend

Gobern chose to sign for the U's rather than League One rivals MK Dons, even though the Milton Keynes club are flying high in second spot.

Ironically, there had been disappointment earlier in the day, when the U's offer for Carlisle United left winger Simon Hackney fell on deaf ears.

The Essex club had failed in their quest to sign centre-halves Mike Williamson (from Wycombe Wanderers) and Rob Jones (from Hibs) earlier in the month, after lodging much-publicised six-figure bids.

Since then, manager Paul Lambert had turned his attention to improving his options on the wing. A five-figure bid for Hackney was turned down yesterday, rumoured to be in the region of �25,000, so completing an unwanted hat-trick of rebuffs.

But frustration turned to relief when Gobern, who has been training with the U's over the last week or so, as well having a spell training with the Dons, put pen to paper on a one-month deal.