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Blues and Swindon Linked with Halifax Striker
Thursday, 2nd Jan 2020 17:36

Town and Swindon are reported to be among a number of EFL clubs interested in FC Halifax Town striker Liam McAlinden.

The 26-year-old has scored 10 goals in 20 league starts and six sub appearances this season since joining the Vanarama National League side after leaving Cheltenham in the summer.

According to Football Insider, McAlinden’s short-term Shay contract is up this weekend and plenty of EFL clubs - among them the Blues and Robins - have been alerted to his availability on a free transfer.

Cannock-born McAlinden, who won caps at U21 level with both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, started his career at Wolves during which time he had spells on loan at Fleetwood, Shrewsbury and Crawley Town.

In 2016 6ft 1in tall McAlinden moved on to Exeter, then after two years joined Cheltenham. Following stints on loan with Brackley Town and Kidderminster he joined Halifax in the summer.

Town would appear well covered for strikers at present with Freddie Sears having recently returned to the fold after injury, joining fellow senior frontmen James Norwood, Kayden Jackson, Will Keane and Jordan Roberts in the squad.

However, it is not impossible that Roberts could move on in January - the 25-year-old has made only one brief League One appearance this season - and that the Blues might look for an additional option up front.

Manager Paul Lambert has said on a number of occasions that Town may have to sell in order to buy during January, and has also admitted that offers can come in which can’t be turned down.

General manager of football operations Lee O’Neill says the Blues want to keep their most talented players but says that there could be scope for wheeling and dealing during the window.

"We want to keep hold of our better players and our younger players as long as possible to try and give us the ability to go to the next level,“ he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"If it's right in a business sense and provides the chance for reinvestment in the future, it's something we will look at. But ideally we would like to keep them at the football club as long as possible."

A month ago TWTD revealed that Fulham have been keeping tabs on Flynn Downes and QPR have been watching Luke Woolfenden.

The Blues are yet to receive any offers for any of their players with the transfer window having opened yesterday.


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muccletonjoe added 18:03 - Jan 2
Vanarama league, didn't get any further than that
0

BlueMachines added 18:06 - Jan 2
Vardy came from similar level joe
10

spanishblue added 18:09 - Jan 2
Where did Tyrone mings come from
8

ArnieM added 18:14 - Jan 2
Yes true , but this player is now in
His mid twenty's, not late teens early 20's. We'll see I guess !
5

bournemouthblue added 18:29 - Jan 2
Could be better than what we have if he's actually capable of winning headers and holding the ball up?
3

Linkboy13 added 18:50 - Jan 2
Can't see his record warrants the interest in him. For every Jamie Vardy there's thousands that fail and we've had quite a few in our time .
3

BlueandTruesince82 added 19:10 - Jan 2
Vardy, Mings. There are only so many out there. Not convinced. Although stacked with them we need MF, one who will actually create.

0

BlueMachines added 19:56 - Jan 2
Arnie. Vardy was 25 when he made his football league debut.

I realise the chances of him being the next Jamie Vardy are slim but it also doesn't mean he is crap. Plenty of our players leave on a free and go on to do well.
3

ArnieM added 20:04 - Jan 2
Oh that's interesting. I didn't realise he was that old tbh . But you're right , these lower league players just need an opportunity don't they . Its up to them if they take it .
2

ThaiBlue added 20:36 - Jan 2
Whooopee,not.
-2

algarvefan added 20:44 - Jan 2
I have always though that our young players are our future, if we need to sell the family silver to sign other untested players I can only see this ending with the team in a downward spiral. Keep and more importantly play our younger players in a regular team selection and I'm sure we would go up. Just my thoughts.
2

Trac70 added 20:51 - Jan 2
Sears Norwood Jackson Keane Folami Morris Drinnan. I'd prefer a left back so Garbutt can play wide left and a centre back.
5

itfcserbia added 21:30 - Jan 2
Carter Vickers might be available now, just saying...
0

Terry_Nutkins added 22:31 - Jan 2
Vardy was prolific. This guy has not scored many. Not really a fair comparison anyway as he doesn't appear to be. Vardy type player.

Finding Non-league gems is very very difficult.
0

TheBoyBlue added 22:44 - Jan 2
Halifax supporting mate says he's decent at their level but would be totally out of his depth in League 1.
0

BeattiesBackPocket added 23:06 - Jan 2
Im hearing a lot about Downes or Woolfenden and that we'd listen to offers etc. Can anyone still supporting Evans please tell me how his plan of having our youth come through works exactly if we keep selling them? We've sold 4 kids who didn't even make it to the under 23's in the past 2/3 years so for me again it's just more bull from the owner. It's things like that that make me lose patience with him he constantly contradicts everything he says year on year. Please don't tell me not to criticise him because I don't have an alternative that's ridiculous if one or both are sold and we don't get promoted he should be getting it from the crowd end of! It's contradictory to say we're losing an extra 9 million by being in league one then possibly sell your best players and stying down same as saying part of his plan is to introduce kids when he sells them anyway!
2

oldbri added 23:36 - Jan 2
Carter Vickers probably going to Derby
0

budgieplucker added 00:19 - Jan 3
He is not going to cost the earth, and quite frankly if he proves to be an awkward physical presence that just helps us get out of this league like an Akinfenwa then he can move on if he doesn't make the grade in the Championship. We need to bully and rough teams up in the final quarter and cause “carnage”, although I was thinking somebody perhaps nearer 6ft 4”, Keifer Moore couldn't get into the Forest Green Rovers team when we signed him for 10k, in Div 1 he ripped it up!!!

Jackson is too lightweight as a number 9, and Drinnan struggles to just make 6ft and has not scored a single goal in the Swedish 2nd tier.

Roberts should move on as he really isn't going to make it and is out of contract in the summer.
0

budgieplucker added 00:19 - Jan 3
He is not going to cost the earth, and quite frankly if he proves to be an awkward physical presence that just helps us get out of this league like an Akinfenwa then he can move on if he doesn't make the grade in the Championship. We need to bully and rough teams up in the final quarter and cause “carnage”, although I was thinking somebody perhaps nearer 6ft 4”, Keifer Moore couldn't get into the Forest Green Rovers team when we signed him for 10k, in Div 1 he ripped it up!!!

Jackson is too lightweight as a number 9, and Drinnan struggles to just make 6ft and has not scored a single goal in the Swedish 2nd tier.

Roberts should move on as he really isn't going to make it and is out of contract in the summer.
0

BettyBlue added 02:03 - Jan 3
I smell an Evans PR campaign in full motion.
Lambert "signs" 5 year extension.
Announce new long term plan,
Link with a few cut price players.
Sell Woolf or Downes or both.
Keep mentioning long term plan, youth while selling out the fans, again.
Slip down table to 14th/15th and start new PR campaign to sell season tickets and blame everyone but Evans.
2

Saxonblue74 added 06:26 - Jan 3
What we need to realise is that we are a lge1 club £100m in debt. We are not going to make big signings and are likely to sell assets if the price is right. It's a sad fact but that's modern football and it's not going to get any better. The big boys get bigger and the rest of us feed off the scraps. Almost 2 decades out of the top flight have hit us very, very hard. Just 1 season in the premier lge would have made a massive difference. Like it or loath it we need a long term plan if things are ever to change.
Who knows what this lad might be capable of? If he's cheap then maybe worth a punt. What I do know is we employ scouts to do a job, I'm sure they know an awful lot more about the lad than me!
4

WhoisJimmyJuan added 07:27 - Jan 3
Beattiesbackpocket: you seem to be despairing before the fact. Downes and Woolfie have not been sold. Let's wait until/unless they are. In fact it's encouraging that clubs are looking at some of our players at least, cos they won't be looking at Toto Nsiala amongst others.
-2

warktheline added 08:46 - Jan 3
How much lower in excuses and pathetic reasoning will most on here go? It's really embarrassing and to the point where I'm questioning who these posters are in regards to agendas ! Even the article has been carefully scripted to focus upon the non league lad, with one line negatives dotted in amongst the possible signing! I'd like to re write the article in a ‘matter of fact' manner! Folks need to start reading between the lines, unless of course, their agendas point elsewhere !
3

planetblue_2011 added 08:50 - Jan 3
Could be another Keifer Moore, he's scoring at Wigan & was scoring for fun at Barnsley when we sold him, Oh and Rotherham!!
Sign him up u never know could be a hidden gem, if he's not, then haven't lost much as he's only a free transfer.
0

Barty added 09:02 - Jan 3
Scoring goals is the problem. We have only scored more than one goal in 29% of our games. - that's very very poor. Our current strikers are just not good enough. We need to splash some cash on a couple of decent strikers - but that wont happen. I fear it will be League 1 again next season.

-1


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