Danny Thomas (right) in action for Bournemouth against Stoke City

Whispers over the young wide man were inevitable after Grays won promotion to the Nationwide Conference National Division by a massive margin last season. With former team-mate Freddy Eastwood happily settled at Roots Hall, the cousin of Chelsea and England star Joe Cole, was a logical improvement to Southend’s squad as they embark on their first Coca-Cola League One season in eight years.

Cole managed nine goals in a roller-coaster first full term with the New Rec outfit, which also involved the left-sided attacker being called into the England National Game XI, formerly known as the Semi-Professional side, alongside club captain and former Shrimper Stuart Thurgood.

Like Eastwood, Cole was a youngster with West Ham United, and it is this pedigree that is attracting the attention of some of the top sides in the country to the young flanker. However Tilson has revealed to the official club website, www.southendunited.co.uk, that he is not interested at this stage.

“He’s not someone we’ve been looking at,” revealed the former Witham Town and Brentford player. Instead, the 38-year-old is believed to be targeting a more experienced talent with the recently-released Boston United wide man Danny Thomas thought to be heading that list.

Tilson missed out on ex-Blackpool veteran Martin Bullock as he joined Macclesfield Town over the weekend, and 24-year-old Thomas, who scored six League goals in 40 starts for the Pilgrims last term, could fit the bill. Like Lawrie Dudfield, Thomas began his professional career with Leicester City in 1999, appearing as a substitute in three Premiership matches against Newcastle United, Everton and West Ham before making a free transfer switch to Dean Court in 2002.

His time with the Cherries was not altogether a success, with the winger spending a lot of time on the sidelines. The Leamington Spa-born youngster appeared 40 times for the south coast side in their 2002/3 promotion campaign, coming on as a last-minute substitute in the 5-2 Play-Off final triumph over Lincoln City.

Having scored five goals in that campaign, he was hopeful of more opportunities in the old Second Division, but after twelve games to the end of January, he was snapped up by Boston on a free transfer just prior to transfer deadline day. He did enough in the final few games of the season, scoring three times in two matches, to earn a deal at York Street under Steve Evans, although the same situation was not forthcoming at the end of the current campaign.

Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com