LEIGH RMI have been pipped at the post in their attempt to sign former Bolton Wanderers striker Paul Wheatcroft.
Manager Mark Patterson admitted that he had struck a deal with Wheatcroft and agreed personal terms before the 22-year-old was snatched from under his nose by Conference rivals Southport.
"It is disappointing but I can't blame the boy. Southport are offering a better deal than what we did," said Patterson, who hopes to sign a 'keeper next week but is being frustrated in his attempts to bring in three other players.
Wheatcroft has had a dramatic fall from grace. He was an England Schoolboy International and on Manchester United's books for two years before he was snapped up by Wanderers.
He spent a couple of years at the Reebok before being loaned out to Rochdale. He joined Scunthorpe in the summer but was released just before Christmas in a cost-cutting exercise.
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