Southend sign Harding & Betsy

Southend United have strengthened their squad by signing Ipswich left back Dan Harding on a 6-month loan and Bristol City winger Kevin Betsy for a nominal fee.

The two players go straight into the squad to face Peterborough on Saturday. Harding - who's 24 - says he's taken the decision to drop down a division to get some first team football and the move is likely to be made permanent in January, if the player performs well.

The former Leeds United and Brighton left back has been left out of the Ipswich side since the 4-1 defeat at Burnley last March.

Betsy - who's 30 - has gained promotion twice from this division and hopes his experience will add a dimension to Steve Tilson's team. The former Fulham and Wycombe man signed for around £30,000 and put pen to paper on a 2-year deal late last night.

Betsy only made two appearances for Bristol City last term before enjoying successful loan spells with Yeovil and Walsall. The official site hints that Betsy may be in for a starting role on Saturday.

The past 48 hours has also seen the signing of Anthony Grant from Chelsea on a free transfer.
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As longpier predicted on Wednesday, Southend chairman Ron Martin has made a statement to fans outlining his pre-season thoughts. There are some interesting points about Mark Gower and Darryl Flahavan in the website article here, and more extensive comments in the Echo article here.

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Longpier LIVE launches tomorrow at 6pm. It's an interactive discussion Skypecast especially for Southend fans. Read all about it here.

Pics courtesy: SUFC