Six targets after No 2 scouting trip

The Rangers No 2 was at Walsall's Banks's Stadium yesterday for the League Football Education assessment trials, a series of friendly games open to first-year professionals who have been released from league clubs looking to find new employment.

The likes of Kidderminster manager Mark Yates, Walsall assistant manager Martin O'Connor, Glenn Hoddle and Leicester scout Nigel Vaughan were among the many representatives from the professional ranks casting a watchful eye over the players involved.

Read came to look for a particular type of player with an agenda in mind and his journey could bear fruit - the assistant boss was in the queue at the end to present his targets to the organisers.

With the market set to be awash this summer with young players in the wake of football's recession, he hopes to use the situation to the Marston Road club's advantage.

He said: " I put six names forward to get their details, so if we can get them I can speak to Chris and see where we go from there. Hopefully we can approach them, get them to us for pre-season and then take a closer look.

"We are maybe a little restricted in what we are after, they need to be locally based as we can't afford massive travel costs. So we were looking at lads from Stoke, Crewe, Port Vale, Walsall - that sort of area.

"As a club every player we have for next season needs to producing the goods every minute that play for us. We can't afford passengers."