Positive week on signings front

At first glance the potential signings of a left-back from non-league football and a striker currently on the fringes of Carlisle United's first-team will not get too many pulses racing at the Ricoh Arena.

But given the current transfer climate, Coventry City are right to try a different tack in their pursuit of new players.

Chris Hussey, set to join from AFC Wimbledon, could come into contention for the left-back slot sooner rather than later, given Marcus Hall's advancing years and the temporary nature of Patrick Van Aarnholt's stay at the club.

Conference to Championship is obviously a big step up, but players have shown in recent years that it can be made very quickly, Michael Kightley being the prime example.

Like the signing's of Fox, Dann and Gunnarsson early in the SISU reign, Hussey is the right age and should be hungry to succeed at a higher level. Both of which attributes should apply to Madine as well, albeit his signing isn't as obvious given the fact the striker is struggling to hold down a permanent place in the Carlisle United first team.

Still only 19 and tipped for big things at a young age, Madine looks to be one for the longer-term and if he does well it could lead to a permanent move to Coventry.

Given the alternative, which, as the Sam Vokes saga showed, is having to agree terms and conditions imposed by a Premier League club for the loan of one of their players and then acting mainly as an outlet to the player to get match fit, City are right to look at different ways of boosting their numbers.

Many years ago our then manager Bobby Gould took a gamble on a young untried left-back from the non-league football who was earning rave reviews,but no one was prepared to gamble on and what a find he proved to be, Stuart Pearce was the name.

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