COLCHESTER United manager Paul Lambert will be hoping to extend the stay of his loan double act of Marc Tienery and Jimmy Walker when the transfer window reopens today.

Carl Marston

Colchester soccer

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United manager Paul Lambert will be hoping to extend the stay of his loan double act of Marc Tienery and Jimmy Walker when the transfer window reopens today.

Tierney looks set to sign a permanent deal over the next few days, following his successful loan stint at the Community Stadium from Shrewsbury Town.

And Lambert is also planning to hold onto keeper Walker, if a deal can be struck with his parent club West Ham.

Lambert revealed: “We are going to try to be busy in the transfer market over the next month. There are a couple of things in the pipeline at the moment.

“We hope to do something, and I'll be looking to keep both Marc Tierney and Jimmy Walker. They have been terrific for us, and have been getting better and better with every game.

“Mark (Tierney) has a big future in front of him, and I'm sure that he will be saying with us.

“Jimmy's performances have been very impressive. I knew of him while I was manager of Wycombe, and I've always compared him to Andy Goram (former Scotland keeper), who was also not the tallest. His hands were always pretty safe when the ball came into the box.

“It's now up to Dean Gerken and Mark Cousins to fight to get back into the team. They are both relatively young keepers, and it's up to them to force their way back in,” added Lambert.

Tierney has hardly put a foot wrong since his arrival from Shrewsbury at the end of November. The 23-year-old made his debut in the 2-1 win over Northampton, and has been ever-present in the last six league games. He has made the left-back role his own.

Walker, meanwhile, also made his debut at Sixfields. The 35-year-old kept a couple of clean-sheets in the last two home games, against Scunthorpe (0-0) and Leyton Orient (1-0), and also saved Adam Boyd's second-half penalty against the O's.

Meanwhile, Lambert will be casting his eye over striker Jamie Guy during the next few weeks. Guy will be returning from his loan spell at Oxford United after this weekend, and is likely to figure in a few outings for the reserves. Guy scored three goals for the Blue Square Premier club.

The U's entertain Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, targeting a third win on the bounce following the Boxing Day victory at Brighton and the home win over Orient.

Rovers are flying high at the moment, and are currently six points ahead of the U's in eighth position. But Lambert's men have lost just one of their last seven league fixtures.

Lambert said: “We want to bridge the gap between us and Tranmere. We want to keep the momentum going, and the lads all want to get going again, which comes with winning matches.

“Our season is very much alive. There are miles to go as yet,” added Lambert.

Centre-half Chris Coyne missed the O's clash with a knee injury, and he is the one main doubt for this weekend.