TODAY’S deadline for ‘emergency’ loan transfers is expected to pass quietly at Portman Road.

Hopes of signing Joel Ward from Portsmouth, after the versatile 22-year-old met with Paul Jewell last weekend, have been dashed for now after Pompey boss Michael Appleton confirmed this afternoon that there would be no more exits out of Fratton Park.

The day had also started with Ward’s team mate Jason Pearce, another long-standing Town target, confirming he was going nowhere as he looks to lead the south coast club away from the Championship’s drop-zone.

Pearce told the Portsmouth News: “The gaffer spoke to me earlier in the week and told me he didn’t want me going anywhere. He told me that if anything had to be done, it would be better to be done at the end of the season.

“We will see what happens in the summer and things will be reviewed then, but for the rest of the season I will fight my hardest to keep this club up.”

With Jewell all but conceding defeat in his quest for Pompey local boy Ward after last night’s 1-0 win over Burnley, it will be intriguing to see whether he resurrects any interest in the duo in the summer.

Much will depend on what division Portsmouth line up in next season.