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Broughton still has one-year remaining on his current deal at Aggborough, but Harriers are willing to release him after the six-foot three-inch target man netted just eight times in the 2002/3 campaign, a seaon in which he found himself sent off twice. Wignall revealed, "I have made him an offer and he has said he will get back to me within the week", before disclosing that Broughton was a "handful", a statement borne out by the 24-year-old's disciplinary record last year, which saw him cautioned on eight occasions as well as the two dismissals.
As the Shrimpers chief continued to comment on the club's official website (www.southendunited.co.uk), he commented further on the goalkeeping situation in south-east Essex. Having let Darryl mFlahaan and Danny Gay go at the end of their contracts, he has been left without a recognised shotstopper, a state of affairs that he hoped to rectify soon. Indeed, the Liverpool-born gaffer has already held talks with highly-rated England Under-21 custodian Rhys Evans, who was released by Premiership Chelsea at the end of the season.
Wignall said of the 'keeper, who has represented his country over forty times, that "he didn't dismiss the fact that he may come to Southend United at all", and added that, "He's been number two at a higher league club but he now feels he is twenty-one he needs to be a number one keeper and I'd agree with that". Evans is rumoured to have been approached by an unnamed Division One side, but Wignall declared ominously, "you never know and I feel that if you don't ask then you don't get".
Drewe Broughton Factfile
Position: Forward
Age: 24 (Date of Birth: 25th October 1978)
Born: Hitchin
Height: 6ft 3ins
Weight: 12st 1lb
Career (130 appearances, plus 57 as a substitute, 43 goals):
Norwich City (1st August 1996-28th October 1998): 3(6) games, 1 goal
Wigan Athletic (loan - 10th August 1997-10th September 1997): 2(6) games, 0 goals
Brentford (£100,000 - 28th October 1998-16th November 1998): 1 game, 0 goals
Peterborough United (£100,000 - 16th November 1998-16th February 2001): 22(17) games, 9 goals
Nuneaton Borough (loan - 5th February 2000-8th May 2000): 11(2) games, 2 goals
Dagenham & Redbridge (loan - 21st September 2000-9th December 2000): 9(2) games, 5 goals
Stevenage Borough (loan - 15th December 2000-12th January 2001): 3 games, 3 goals
Kidderminster Harriers (loan - 22nd January 2001-15th February 2001): 5 games, 3 goals
Kidderminster Harriers (£50,000 - 16th February 2001-present): 74(24) games, 20 goals
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Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 21 (Date of Birth: 27th January 1982)
Born: Swindon
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 12st 4lbs
Career (22 appearances, 0 goals):
Chelsea (1st August 1998-2nd June 2003): 0 games, 0 goals
Bristol Rovers (loan - 26th February 2000-26th March 2000): 4 games, 0 goals
Queens Park Rangers (loan - 7th November 2001-21st April 2002): 11 games, 0 goals
Leyton Orient (loan - 9th August 2002-8th November 2002): 7 games, 0 goals
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com