Loanee to Cover Roberts Rejection

Dario Gradi has confirmed that he will look to sign a midfielder on loan to cover the loss of Gary Roberts, Lee Bell and Michael O’Connor. It had been hoped that the FA would overturn the red card following an appeal, but that appeal has been unsuccessful.

Dario said, ‘If Gary’s out we definitely will pursue a midfielder. We think we’ve got one that we can get on loan.’

There have been suggestions of a loan return for ex-Crewe captain Dave Brammer, who is struggling to hold down a place in the Stoke first team. However, that seems unlikely at the current time.