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Race is on to find Beattie replacement
SHEFFIELD United will dispatch a small army of scouts across the country this weekend as they attempt to identify James Beattie's replacement.
Kevin Blackwell's side return to Championship action at Watford on Saturday having qualified for the FA Cup fourth round following a 4-1 victory over Leyton Orient.
But while his players look to consolidate their play-off ambitions at Vicarage Road, the United manager's spies will be finalising a top-secret dossier which contains the names of those strikers deemed capable of filling the void created by Beattie's 3.5m transfer to Stoke City.
Forty-eight hours after watching his players record their second highest scoreline of the season so far against the League One strugglers, Blackwell has resolved to re-enter the transfer market following an unsuccessful bid for Reading's Leroy Lita.
Although their chances of capturing the former England under-21 international appear slim, United have not entirely ruled-out a player who was on target seven times in 16 appearances during a recent loan spell at Norwich.
But with the February 2 deadline for new signings fast approaching, Blackwell is determined to finalise his squad before a gruelling run of games which pits them against South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster, Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday ahead of next month's visit by third placed Birmingham.
Portsmouth's David Nugent has been discussed as a possible alternative to Lita in some quarters while Blackwell is also believed to have run the rule over Jermaine Beckford before the Leeds marksman strained a hamstring.
Blackwell said: "I won't be doing my business in public. That's not the way I like to do things nor do I believe it's the proper way..”
Meanwhile, United reserves were beaten 3-0 b y Carlisle in the Totesport casino.com league cup yesterday.
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
