Colchester United boss Steve Whitton is hoping to boost the club's survival bid by bringing fans' favourite Joe Dunne back to the club.

One of nine players controversially thrown out on a free transfer by former U's manager Mick Wadsworth in the summer, Whitton revealed he was working hard to open talks with Nationwide Conference club Dover in a bid to lure Dunne back into the Layer Road fold to pick up where he left off last season.

Whitton said: "We've looked around extensively for players to strengthen our squad and in our view there is no-one out there better than Joe.

"He is currently captain and playing well for Dover in the Conference, but more importantly, if we get him I know he will give his everything for Colchester. He's a likeable lad who is still a big hit with the fans.

"Players don't come more honest than Joe and everytime he pulls on a shirt you know what you're going to get with him."

Whitton said if the move comes off, 26-year-old Dunne will go straight into the U's starting line-up for Saturday's big game with promotion-chasing Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground.

The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international midfielder-cum-defender and one of the heroes of the U's Wembley promotion play-off winning team, made no secret of the fact he did not want to leave the club in the first place.

Upset and deeply hurt on his departure, the reigning Evening Gazette player-of-the-year has always said he would "leap at the chance to come back" if asked.

Whitton was ready to hand him the chance to rekindle his Football League career today.

The popular Dubliner originally joined the U's from Gillingham on a free transfer just over three years ago, going on to make 101 League appearances before moving into non-league football with Dover at the start of the current season.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.