BARNSLEY beat off interest from Championship rivals Doncaster Rovers to land the loan signing of Jamie Cureton.
The Norwich City striker was due at Oakwell today for his first training session at the start of his three-month stay in South Yorkshire.
The deal was put together in a hectic 24 hours before yesterday's loan transfer deadline and it has emerged that Rovers were among the clubs interested in the 33-year-old.
Cureton looks set to start his Barnsley career among the subs at Nottingham Forest tomorrow. He was on the same bench last Saturday when he was an unused replacement for Norwich.
Barnsley boss Simon Davey looks set to keep Jon Macken and Kayode Odejayi as his strikeforce tomorrow after Monday's 3-2 win over Burnley.
Said Davey: "We have lost Iain Hume and our thoughts are with him but we need to ensure we have the firepower to maintain our excellent run.
"Jamie is a player I have admired for a long time and has a fantastic goalscoring record. He is another piece in the jigsaw here.
"He is a goalscorer and is proven at this level and if he gets the opportunity then he will put it into the back of the net.
"We are on a fantastic run at the moment and now is the right time to strengthen. Having spoken with his representatives and to Jamie, we know that he wanted to come here. We wanted Jamie and we have signed him."
There is a 24-hour recall clause in the deal after 28 days of Cureton's loan spell at Oakwell has elapsed.
He will not be eligible to play in the FA Cup for Davey's side and he cannot play against Norwich at Carrow Road on January 17.
Cureton scored the winner against Barnsley at Norwich last February, but has not scored a first team goal since his hat-trick against former club Colchester in March.
He started his career at Norwich and has played at Bournemouth, Bristol Rovers, Reading, South Korean side Pusan I'cons, QPR, Swindon and Colchester, scoring 180 league goals in 379 starts.
He has another year to run on his contract at Norwich.
"I mentioned the idea of going on loan about five weeks ago. I'm not involved at Norwich at the moment; I just want to play football," Cureton said.
Speculation today continued to surround the future of Forest manager Colin Caldwerwood. One report said that former Derby manager Billy Davies was being lined up as his successor.
Meanwhile, Martin Devaney and Diego Leon have dropped out of Barnsley's squad tomorrow. Winger Devaney faces two months on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage. Leon has a groin strain.
Forest: Camp, Chambers, Wilson, Morgan, Lynch, Anderson, Perch, McGugan, Byrne, Martin, Davies, Tyson, Garner, Earnshaw, Smith, McCleary, Thornhill.
Barnsley from: Muller, Hassell, Souza, Foster, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Colace, de Silva, Whaley, Macken, Odejayi, Cureton, van Homoet, Rigters, Mostto, Coulson, El Haimour.
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