BLUES boss Lawrie Sanchez has signed Barnet striker Sean Devine on loan until the end of the season in a desperate gamble to keep the rock bottom Blues up.

Devine has been unable to command a regular place at Underhill this season and Sanchez is preying that a change of scenery will help the 26-year-old rediscover the scoring habit that once earned him an Eire B cap and brought him to the attention of Spurs and Arsenal.

Sanchez said: "His career's gone a little bit wayward but he's got a great scoring record in the third division and hopefully he can notch one or two for us."

Devine has scored one goal in ten appearances for the Division Three Bees this season as his career has hit a wall. He burst on the scene as a £10,000 signing from Cypriot side Famagusta and scored 46 goals in his first 106 games for the Bees.

Devine, who still has more than a year left on his Underhill contract, is the second striker Sanchez has snapped up this week as he bids to pep up a goal-shy attack which has only hit the net eight times away from home all season.

He has also brought in 16-goal Crawley Town hotshot Richard Thompson. The 24-year-old who once had trials with Wimbledon impressed him enough in two reserve matches to win an 18-month contract, but Sanchez does not see him as the answer this season.

With Devine on board, Sanchez has only one more loan available, and he hopes to get someone in before tomorrow's Berks Bucks derby against his former club Reading at the Madjeski Stadium.

Devine may have to content himself with a place on the bench for that one.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.