Shrimpers lose Friend's services

The Shrimpers revealed last week that Wolves full-back Friend would be staying at Roots Hall for a further month. But the Football League informed the League One side on Friday that the deal could not be sanctioned, due to their debt to HMRC. A statement on Southend's official website read: "On Monday last week the club agreed to extend George Friend's loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers. "The paperwork was then submitted to the Football League, who subsequently advised that the newly-adopted rules relating to HMRC prevented us from extending the loan until the position was sorted."