Football agent Barry Silkman today confirmed he will be taking Colchester United to the civil courts following the Brian Launders affair.

Silkman insisted: "Although no date has yet been fixed to hear the case, there is no question that Brian Launders will win in the High Court."

Silkman and his client are unhappy at the verdict issued 17 days ago by a Football League appeals tribunal which upheld the Second Division club's decision to sack the player.

Silkman and Launders had already had their original case for wrongful dismissal and loss of wages overturned by a League tribunal which ruled the club did have justifiable and ample grounds to terminate the player's contract.

The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 midfielder, who is currently playing in Belgium following a short rest in his home in Dublin, was summoned from the training ground last October and sacked on the spot for gross misconduct.

Silkman said: "We really believe Brian will win the case when it goes to High Court - which is where we wanted to go in the first place.

"It has cost us and Colchester United a lot of money taking the case through the Football Association and the Football League, but the FA insisted we had to go through that procedure first.

"We have done that and have been over-ruled both times, but they can no longer keep it within the confines of the FA and the League."

Silkman said he and his lawyers had been discussing their next move after seeking clarification of the appeals tribunal's verdict.

He said: "We asked them to outline their reasons for upholding Brian's sacking and they have not given us any. They have not answered us satisfactorily so we are now preparing to take the matter further.

"The FA and Football League have made rulings that will not stand up in the civil courts."

U's director Peter Powell said today: "We wish to make no comment on the matter at this time, but we are taking legal advice."

Launders and his agent initially took the U's to the professional football authorities seeking loss of wages and costs in the region of £160,000.

Silkman added he was also planning personal litigation against U's chairman Peter Heard.

Meanwhile, Jack Wignall and new boy Chris Keeble netted the goals in the U's reserves 2-0 Avon Insurance League win at Southend yesterday.

Coventry City defender Barry Ferguson also played for an hour.

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