Ex-Clarets on the move

Last Updated : 09-May-2006 by

Drissa Diallo - released by Sheffield Wednesday
I suppose most of them were expected and the first to find out was defender Drissa Diallo who has been released by Sheffield Wednesday after just one year at Hillsborough. Again, as was the case at Ipswich, Diallo has had an injury ravaged season and made only eight league starts for Wednesday following their return to the Championship.

Now aged 33, he left with his manager Paul Sturrock saying, “I don't think he'll have any problem finding himself a club. He's been a wee bit unfortunate with injuries, because he's done a sterling job when he's been available.”

Former striker Andy Cooke recently said that this had been his most difficult season, and he spent the latter part of it on loan at Darlington. So it could have come as no surprise when he learned that he would not be offered a new deal by Bradford City.

Cookey has found goals difficult to come by since returning to England and scored just five league goals in 37 appearances for the Bantams after joining them in January last year. He added three more goals during his loan spell with Darlington, for whom he played fourteen times.

There were hints that Darlington could be interested in taking him full time but nothing has materialised as yet for the striker who was back in Burnley colours last week during Paul Cook's testimonial.

He partnered Gareth Taylor in that game, the two of them never played in the same Burnley side, and Taylor has also been released by his club although he already has an offer on the table to join Crewe.

He's been with the Alex since January on loan after being made available by then Forest boss Gary Megson. It had to be a loan deal at the time because Crewe couldn't afford the wages he was on at the City Ground and Forest continued to pay part of it.

David Eyres - leaving Oldham
Taylor joined Forest from the Clarets for £500,000 early in the 2003/04 season but he never had the sort of success there that he had enjoyed at Turf Moor. The caretaker managers at Forest have now released him and the 33 year old striker could well decide to remain with Crewe for next season.

Finally, and by no means least, David Eyres has found himself without a club for the first time since joining Blackpool in 1989, signed by Jimmy Mullen from non-league Rhyl. That's seventeen years with Blackpool, Burnley, Preston and Oldham and after over 700 games, and at the age of 42, Latics boss Ronnie Moore has decided not to offer him a new deal.

Eyresy isn't ready for hanging his boots up though and is already looking for a new club. There were links with Shrewsbury a year ago, managed by Gary Peters who signed him for Preston, and that might just be his next port of call. One day he might just have to hang his boots up.