9:28am Monday 2nd August 2010
By Jonathan Waldron
Colchester United will step up their search for a new striker this week following the departure of French forward Joel Thomas.
Thomas has had his U's contract cancelled, after informing them he wanted to leave barely a year after joining them from Scottish Premier League club Hamilton Academical.
His departure has given boss John Ward more scope in his attempts to bolster his forward line.
And after the U's lost 2-1 in their latest pre-season friendly at Aldershot Town on Saturday, manager Ward revealed he intends to step up his quest to strengthen his forward options.
Ward told the Gazette: “Joel wanted to leave the football club and if that's the case, it's best for him to move on.
“With Clive (Platt) leaving as well, which is purely coincidence, it does free up wages to try and get a player in.
“We have had people out looking and I've crossed some names off the list that I can't get.
“We'll continually look at it, whether it be loan or permanent and looking at the chances not taken against Aldershot, we'll probably have to quicken up on it.”
For more on this story and all of the latest Colchester United news, see today's Daily Gazette.
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