Delighted Blues boss Paul Simpson secured his signature today after the 22-year-old midfielder quit Second Division Port Vale, claiming family problems. He is likely to go straight into the squad for Saturday's crucial relegation battle at Rochdale. Simpson is hoping Boyd will solve his midfield injury crisis which will cost him the services of Will McDonagh and himself for the vital trip on Saturday. McDonagh injured a knee in the 1-1 draw with Northampton Town on Tuesday night and was having a scan today to reveal the extent of the problem. Simpson has missed the last three games through a knee injury and has admitted he won't be fit to face his former club at the weekend. Boyd, who began his career as a trainee at Brunton Park, was snapped up by Newcastle United when he was 17. He signed for Vale in the summer of 2002 and played 45 games for them, grabbing four goals. Simpson has been chasing an influential midfielder all season and will be hoping that Boyd might be able to fill the void in United's squad. The Cumbrians are lying seven points short of guaranteed safety and must win at Rochdale to close the gap to four. They have lost just one of their last eight games and only 3 of their last fifteen. They have also defeated the Spotland side in their last three meetings. Simpson scored in Dale's last win over United, in September 2002. The club are also chasing further signings as deadline day approaches and their injury list lengthens. As well as Simpson and McDonagh, they also have Mark Summerbell, Tom Cowan, Paul Raven, Richie Foran and Kevin Henderson on the sidelines, while Brendan McGill has been nursing a suspect knee through recent games. Picture from News & Star |
