MISSING soccer star Ted McMinn was today tracked down to Australia by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

The Burnley player, nicknamed Tin Man, is proving to be a real wizard of Oz after landing a place with a team down under.

The Clarets favourite has gone down a storm with Aussie fans after scoring in a league game last week.

He quietly left the country without public explanation but has started a new life in sunny Perth where he's playing for a first division team, Joondalup City.

But today he did not want talk about his international move, and demanded to know how we had traced him.

He said: "I'm here on holiday and I don't want it spoiled by journalists."

When asked if he had a message for Burnley fans, he said: "I don't play for Burnley anymore and that's all they need to know."

At first, McMinn denied he was playing in Australia but the Western Australian newspaper has carried a picture of the grinning player with the club president and quoted him.

When asked about the story McMinn said: "I've not signed for anyone and I've not been in any paper here. I've got nothing more to say. Goodbye."

The wing wizard sent his CV off to several clubs before quitting Britain.

Joondalup were reported to have been impressed with his skills and immediately signed him.

McMinn is currently living with the coach, Paul Simmons.

The Canberra Cosmos team wanted to sign him but already had their limit on international players.

And national league side Perth Glory have invited him to train with them after watching him play in a cup-tie and score in a league game.

Mel Moffat, a sports writer with the West Australian newspaper, said: "Ted's proving to be a big hit.

"He's only been playing a couple of weeks but everyone's impressed with him, particularly the fans, who seem to adore him.

"We'd heard that he came here because he was going through some messy personal problems although he doesn't talk about it."

Joondalup told press in Australia that they had pulled off the "coup of the year" by signing McMinn, who also played for Derby County and Glasgow Rangers.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.