Good strikers hard to find as deadline curtain drops

WHILE BRAY Wanderer did manage to complete the capture of Ger Rowe from Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda United and St Patrick's Athletic looked set to fail in their bids to sign strikers ahead of the Irish transfer deadline last night.

Sligo Rovers apparently refused to soften their stance on the league champions' offer for Fahrudin Kudozovic, while the Inchicore club were still struggling to unearth the goalscorer they have been seeking to recruit throughout the close season.

United manager Paul Doolin said after his side's win over Cliftonville on Tuesday night he would not be improving a "fair" offer for Kudozovic and with time running out last night he didn't believe the deal would happen.

John McDonnell's hopes of adding another frontman, meanwhile, were dealt a blow earlier this week when 26-year-old Bas Savage opted to sign a short-term deal with Millwall after a successful trial with St Patrick's.

"It's difficult for us after losing Bas to Millwall and then having to look around again at short notice," said McDonnell yesterday.

"But if it doesn't happen then we still have good lads to play up front and with the other signings we've made we will definitely go into the new season stronger; it will be the club's best squad in my time here."

While all the leading sides have strengthened their panels - United signing Joe Kendrick among others, Cork City bringing Danny Murphy back to Turner's Cross, Derry picking up two former players, Owen Morrison and Clive Delaney, and Pat Fenlon making Glenn Cronin his latest recruit at Bohemians this week - St Patrick's have been much busier than most.

The club officially unveiled seven new faces at Richmond Park yesterday, including league winners Damien Lynch, Bobby Ryan and Jamie Harris.

The others are Dessie Byrne, Gary Dempsey and Joe O'Cearuill (all capped at various levels for Ireland) and the Welsh international defender David Partridge.

Having come through the ranks at Arsenal, O'Cearuill, a talented and versatile defender, played twice for the Ireland senior team in America last summer but arrives in Dublin after a difficult spell at Barnet.

"I phoned my agent to tell him I wanted out of there and he mentioned St Patrick's, who had been in for me before," says the 21-year-old. "After I spoke to them here it didn't take long for me to make my mind up.

"They're a club going in the right direction and it always felt like the right thing to do."

The club's former manager and now director of football, Brian Kerr, has previously expressed reservations over the money being spent on wages by league clubs here but said yesterday he believes the backing of prominent business people had allowed the various title contenders to up their spend without acting irresponsibly.

"In the past two seasons really good, credible business people have gotten involved with the clubs and seen the excitement that can be generated by a tournament like the Setanta Cup or European football if you make a bit of progress in it," he said.