Roy McFarland sprang a surprise by signing Burnley left-back Tom Cowan on loan today and throwing him straight into the team to face Bury tonight.

30-year-old Cowan signed on loan in a hush-hush deal by fax this morning and joined up with the squad for the first time this afternoon. He is an experienced defender who represented Rangers, Sheffield United, Stoke and Huddersfield before joining Burnley for a nominal fee last March. He was a key performer in the Clarets' successful fight against relegation but his first team chances have been severely restricted this season and manager Stan Ternant said he had no hesitation in allowing him to join us on loan in order to get some first team football.

Cowan has signed initially on a month's loan and will wear shirt number 24. He is described as a solid left-back equally at home defending and going forward, a good passer of the ball, deceptively strong in the air and a reliable tackler.

McFarland was reported in this morning's Cambridge Evening News and on various Spurs web sites to have signed Spurs reserve striker Paul McVeigh on loan this morning but I understand that fell through or could not be completed in time for him to feature tonight. The Spurs sources reported that the deal was to be until the end of the season for the small but lively and free-scoring McVeigh, who has played two games for United's reserves this month and scored twice in the 7-3 win at Leyton Orient.