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Rotherham boss Alan Knill has snapped up free agent midfielder Justin Cochrane, who was released by Crewe at the end of last season after spending three years at Gresty Road. The 24-year-old has penned a two-year deal at Millmoor and becomes the Merry Millers' fifth signing of the summer after Scott Wiseman, Ritchie Partridge, Delroy Facey and Ian Sharps. 25-year old defender Sharps having signed on at the South Yorkshire club yesterday after penning a two-year contract at Millmoor. Sharps had spent all of his career at Tranmere and had amassed 186 appearances since signing professional terms at Prenton Park in 1998.
Midfielder Gary Mills, who was released by relegated League Two side Rushden and Diamonds at the end of the season, is surprisingly on trial this week with League One side Yeovil Town. Injuries have restricted Mills to just 14 league starts for Rushden, where he had been the club's longest serving player, in the last two seasons, but he now has the chance to try and impress new Glovers boss Russell Slade at Huish Park in an effort to win a playing contract. Meanwhile Slade has ended his interest in Accrington Stanley's 22-year old Gary Roberts after having a £20,000 bid for the winger rejected by the Reds. Yeovil are still looking at three other left-sided players though in Cardiff's Paul Parry, Swansea's Kevin McLeod and Ross County's John Rankin, although Rankin looks set to join Scottish Premier League side Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Ex-Bristol City defender Clayton Fortune has been handed a trial at Pride Park by new Derby County boss Billy Davies. The 23-year-old was released by the Robins in the summer and rejected a contract offer from Port Vale where he spent seven months on loan last season. Vale themselves have issued a hands-off warning to clubs impressed by the performances of central midfielder Chris Birchall for Trinidad and Tobago during the World Cup. Ipswich were reported to be tracking the 22-year-old, who has a year remaining on his Vale contract and has made 78 league appearances for the Valiants since making his debut nearly five years ago. Meanwhile Bristol City boss Gary Johnson has set his squad a huge target of hitting the 90-point mark next season in order to be promoted from League One into the Championship.
Staying in the West Country, one-time Cheltenham Town midfielder Scott Musgrove has dropped all the way down to the Southern League Premier Division after signing for Stamford. 19-year old Musgrove moves back to his hometown club after being released by the Robins at the end of last season and will be looking to rebuild his footballing career with the Daniels. Meanwhile Town assistant boss Keith Downing has joined manager John Ward in signing a new contract with the Whaddon Road outfit, last week Ward penned a new five-year deal while today Downing has signed up for a new three-year contract. Again on the coaching front, new Northampton Town manager John Gorman has appointed Ian Sampson as his first-team coach at Sixfields. The former Cobblers defender having been Town's youth team coach for the last two seasons, Sampson joining assistant manager Jim Barron in an all-new coaching team at Sixfields.
Brighton have succeeded in persuading Alexandre Frutos that his future lies at the Withdean, the Frenchman having extended his current deal by an extra year until the end of the 2007-08 season. The 24-year old winger had a similar deal to the one which saw Sebastian Carole leave the Seagulls for Leeds, Frutos having the chance, which he has turned down, to activate a release clause in his contract following Brighton's relegation to League One. The Albion have failed in their bid to bring experienced striker Daniele Dichio to the South Coast though, the Seagulls had agreed on a fee with Preston for the 31-year old ex-Sunderland frontman, but Dichio turned the move down in order to fight for a first-team place under new Lilywhites boss Paul Simpson.
Oldham shotstopper Les Pogliacomi has damaged his knee in pre-season training and will need an operation, the Australian-born goalkeeper will undergo the surgery later in the week but is expected to return in time for Oldham's first game of the season with Tranmere. The 31-year-old spent a full season on loan to Blackpool in the 2005-06 campaign but is likely to be given a chance this term at Boundary Park under new Latics boss John Sheridan. Huddersfield striker Pawel Abbott has turned down the chance to drop into League Two and move to Milton Keynes Dons in a proposed swap deal with the Dons' 22-year old defender Dean Lewington. The 24-year-old Pole, who has scored 46 goals in 106 appearances for the Terriers, having decided to stay at the Galpharm Stadium and fight for his first-team place.