John Courtenay was confident this week that his prediction of the final deal being closed by Wednesday would come true. Further meetings in the past week have allowed the deal to stay firmly on track. Supporters are now waiting with bated breath for an announcement out of Brunton Park tomorrow. Michael Knighton agreed in principle to sell the club to Irish millionaire businessman Courtenay three weeks ago. Lawyers have since been drawing up the documents to finalise the agreement and things appear to be going to plan. However, many times over the last three years Knighton has been seemingly close to a deal only for last-minute hitches to suddenly appear. If and when Courtenay does take over, he will repay a loan to the PFA that will allow manager Roddy Collins to start signing players again. Collins has immediate plans to bring in two or three new signings as he seeks to build on the rapid improvement in the team's fortunes since Christmas. He has already signed two new players in Trevor Molloy and Brian Shelley for next season. Meanwhile, striker Steve Halliday is hoping his recent burst of four goals in four games will take him off the transfer list. Collins is seeking to trim his 34-man squad and Halliday was placed on the list last month. Since then he has come back to form and his two goals at Kidderminster on Saturday lifted his tally for the season to seven. He hopes to emulate the achievement of Ian Stevens, who was out in the cold during the autumn when Collins put him on the transfer list and described him as "lazy". Eventually he bowed to fan pressure and brought the veteran striker back. Stevens responded by netting a hat-trick against Leyton Orient. He was named as PFA Player of the Month for Division Three in January. Superkev lines up Brunton Beat Former Ipswich Town and England international defender Kevin Beattie is set to play a new role at United. The Botcherby-born player, who won an FA Cup winners medal in 1978 and scored for England against Scotland at Wembley three years earlier, is to coach United's first team on a part-time basis. Beattie, who was back in the city on Friday night to attend the CCUIST fund-raiser at Harraby Catholic Club, has offered to help the club out in the past. Now manager Roddy Collins, who met Beattie at the weekend, has given him his chance to put something back into the club that he supported as a boy. |
