BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT (From Thisisdorset)

BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT

7:00am Thursday 25th September 2008

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JIMMY Quinn is today expected to complete a loan deal for Blair Sturrock after admitting he wants to further bolster his Cherries squad over the next 48 hours.

The Dean Court chief handed Sturrock a chance to impress in Tuesday's reserve match against Cheltenham and the Swindon Town forward did not disappoint during the 4-1 victory.

Quinn was pleased with the 27-year-old's performance, so much so that he entered negotiations to seal a one-month deal for the Scotsman, who is the son of former Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday manager Paul Sturrock.

Having last week spoken of his intention to find a temporary replace ment for Alan Connell while the striker recovers from knee surgery, Quinn clearly believes Sturrock fits the bill.

Speaking to the Echo yesterday, the Cherries boss said: "I like Blair Sturrock.

"His movement is good, he is the right age and he has the right experience.

"We've not got the biggest squad in the world so I'm trying to sort something out and do a deal.

"I had somebody watch him play for Swindon's reserves and he's a decent lad.

"He's hard working and I think it's ideal for us.

"Hopefully we can sort something out and we'll take him on a month initially."

Swindon boss Maurice Malpas confirmed yesterday that he had received a phone call from Quinn stating Cherries' desire to recruit Sturrock on a short-term basis.

Should the former Plymouth and Rochdale frontman seal a move to the south coast, he would join fellow loanee Craig Lindfield, recent capture Jeff Goulding, Brett Pitman and Lee Bradbury in the battle for striking berths.

One man who will not be leading the line for Cherries, however, is veteran forward Trevor Benjamin, who has been on trial with the Dorset club this week.

He scored in Tuesday's reserve match but boss Quinn will not be pursuing his interest in the former Leicester City striker.

As well as Sturrock, Quinn has not ruled out the possibility of additional recruits arriving ahead of Saturday's home clash against Darlington at Dean Court, revealing he has made "a couple of enquiries".

Meanwhile, the Cherries boss, along with assistant Jason Tindall, was spotted among the crowd at Weymouth to watch the hosts' 2-2 draw with Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

The Terras have made a number of players available for transfer in the past week.

• Meanwhile, Quinn has explained his reasons for opting not to seek an extension to Scott Wagstaff's loan.

The 18-year-old enjoyed a promising spell after joining the Dorset club on a one-month deal from Charlton Athletic.

But a change in formation, which proved hugely successful at Bradford City on Saturday, means Wagstaff's first-team opportunities could have become limited had he remained at Dean Court.

"We changed the system on Saturday and played with wing-backs," Quinn told the Daily Echo.

"Scott's an out and out winger and I said he'd probably be better off playing for Charlton's reserves."

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