New Watford manager, ex-Chelsea reserve team boss, Brendan Rodgers, has continued to reshape his coaching staff, with Dean Austin joining as assistant manager.
Following the appointment of Frank Lampard Senior as football consultant and confirmation that Malky Mackay will stay at the club, Austin moves to Vicarage Road from the Blues where he had been in charge of our reserves, having previously been the Shrimpers' chief scout.
Former Southend and Spurs full-back Austin rejoined the club 18 months ago following an unsuccesful spell as Farnborough Town manager.
During his time in charge of the Blues Two's he guided them to a top three finish last season as well as winning the Essex Senior Cup for the first time since 1997.
In the present campaign they lie second in the Totesport.com East Division.
"The opportunity was just too good to turn down. It is a chance to improve myself at a good football club but it's sad to be leaving." Dean has been quoted as saying.
David Webb brought Austin to the club in 1997 from non-league St. Albans and he went on to make 109 appearances between March 1990 and June 1992, scoring 3 goals, including an amazing penalty against Charlton when he hit it straight down the middle to beat the diving keeper, this after we had missed a record breaking seven on the trot, his was arguably the worst!
He then went on to join Terry Venables and another old Blue full back in Justin Edinburgh at Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth £375,000 to the club.
Good Luck Deano.
Meanwhile, up north, Richie Foran is to continue playing for Darlington into the new year when the transfer window opens again and many Shrimpers will hope this sorry saga comes to an end.
Foran has made 6 appearances for the Quakers, scoring twice, including last Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Brentford which is reported on below, at least his rubber gloves were blue! (Read on, from the Northern Echo!)
When you have just conceded a late, late equaliser that knocks you off the top of the table the last thing you need is some complete stranger taking the mick. But that is what happened on Saturday to Franz Burgmeier and Richie Foran, although it was not quite the 'mick' that was being taken.
Because within moments of the final whistle the pair were selected by drug testers to fill a jar with their finest. So while their disappointed team-mates were able to trudge back to the team coach, Burgmeier and Foran were being made to hang around in their kit - and wear rather fetching blue rubber gloves - while waiting for nature to take its course.
Anti-drug testers had picked them at random for a sample, and the same pair had combined to give Darlington the lead in the second half. Burgmeier produced another precise free-kick to the far post, where Foran headed a goal that appeared likely to cement Quakers' first-place position as well as equal a club record of six successive league wins.
But, from a contentious free-kick, Karleigh Osborne scrambled home a 92nd minute equaliser that stunned Darlington, who have now twice conceded injury time goals.
Darlington had started with a 4- 5-1 formation, Foran on his own up front.