Striker Leon McKenzie has joined Southend's next opponents Northampton, and his new boss Ian Sampson expects the former Coventry man to repay his judgement, quickly!

A new Cobbler; though Leon has been doing the rounds

The August transfer window may be closed but as an unregistered player the experienced Leon McKenzie was a free agent anyway, however as of Wednesday night clubs could also take players on loan.

And the recruitment of the 32-year-old former Norwich City and Coventry striker McKenzie, on a deal until the end of the current season, is certainly a coup for Northampton Town boss Ian Sampson, if he does the business in a Cobblers shirt.

Even though it's always a gamble, and he hardly set League One alight when joining Charlton on loan last term, he should give the centre-backs Bilel and Barker a good test of their potential as a long term central defensive partnership for the Shrimpers.

This helps the Northamptonshire club as they have lost forward Tadhg Purcell to a knee injury last week that will keep Purcell out for the rest of the season.

Sampson told www.northamptonchron.co.uk: "I am pleased to have got Leon in. He is an experienced striker with a good goalscoring record playing at a higher level. We have been struggling for goals and Leon will come in to try and change that. He has got an excellent CV and a good pedigree and he has a hunger to get back among the goals. He is a player I have been looking at for a while and the cup run has allowed us to bring him in."

The McKenzie Files