TRANSFER deadline day saw a flurry of activity and rumours at Bloomfield Road.

It was no surprise that Steve Banks left the club - he made it well known that he wasn't prepared to stick around after his Celtic dream faltered.

The surprise came in the fee - just £50,000 for Bolton to take one of England's best goalkeepers outside the Premiership to the Reebok Stadium.

And he may actually be a Premiership player next season with Bolton, currently propping up the First Division's play-off places.

Steve was a free agent at the end of the season so the £50,000 fee - while pitifully small - at least puts some money back into the club.

Skipper Tony Butler, another free agent in the summer, also left Bloomfield Road. Port Vale manager Brian Horton, busiest manager of the league on deadline day, spent a good deal of time talking to Tony before a deal was thrashed out.

The Bloomfield Road coffers were swollen to the tune of £115,000 with his departure.

Mike Conroy has gone to Chester on loan for at least a month.

He will more than likely stay until the end of the season.

But, as many feared, there was no exodus from the club on deadline day.

The Seasiders managed to replace Banks with a shrewd move for Carlisle's Tony Caig.

And the gap left by Butler will be filled by Julian Watts for one month, an experienced central defender from Bristol City.

Watts saw some top flight action with his first club Sheffield Wednesday before moving to Leicester and then Bristol City.

His experience, along with that of David Bardsley, bodes well for Blackpool's defence.

Keeper Caig, a name not many will know, is a formidable shot-stopper and potentially huge talent.

He too was set to walk away from his club this summer and Blackpool snapped him up for a nominal fee. Andy Couzens, enjoying a successful loan spell from Carlisle, joined the Seasiders on a one-year contract.

But discussions to bring extra fire-power to Bloomfield Road proved fruitless, despite talks with Wrexham striker Jake Edwards, a long-term target for Nigel Worthington.

Brett Ormerod and Marvin Bryan, both out of contract in the summer, will discuss the possibility of extending their contracts later on in the season.

They will wait to see how Blackpool fare in the relegation battle before deciding their future.

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