Former England striker Dion Dublin's loan switch from Aston Villa to Millwall was the highlight of a quiet transfer deadline day yesterday.
The 32-year-old forward has been the man to make way at Villa Park following yesterday's £4.5million signing of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth.
Dublin has signed for the English League First Division club until the end of the season and will make his debut for the play-off chasing Lions against Stockport tomorrow.
Millwall manager Mark McGhee, who has signed Dublin as replacement for the injured Irish striker Richard Sadlier, said: "The fact we are signing someone of Dion's calibre reflects how highly we rate Richard Sadlier.
"We didn't think we could just go out there and pick up a striker out of anywhere; we needed someone who was top quality, and that is what we are getting".
Meanwhile, a handful of Irish players were involved in yesterday's transfer activity with Damien Delaney, Dominic Foley and Michael Reddy amongst the players farmed out on loan in the hope that they might get some first team football.
Delaney has gone from Leicester City to second division Huddersfield Town where Lou Macari needed midfield cover after both Chris Holland and Chris Beech picked up injuries. The 20- year-old Corkman made five first team appearance during his first season at Filbert Street and another four this year but having failed to convince Dave Bassett that he can contribute to the club's rather doomed looking fight against relegation Macari has snapped up a player he says will add strength to his midfield.
Reddy drops one division to Barnsley where the hope is that he will contribute much needed goals for the relegation threatened club. "Michael is incredibly quick and very direct," said Barnsley boss Steve Parkin who sees the Irish striker as a player he will be able to bring on late in games.
"He will upset defenders in the last 15 or 20 minutes when they are getting a little tired," he predicted.
Dominic Foley, meanwhile, returns to QPR from Watford, the 25-year-old having previously gone to Loftus Road only to pick up a hamstring injury in what turned out to be his only game for the club.
Since then he too has been at Swindon. Like the other Irishmen he will go straight into his new club's squad for their weekend league matches.
Finally Gareth Whalley has returned to his former club Crewe Alexandra for the rest of the season.
The midfielder has been repeatedly linked with a permanent move back to Gresty Road over the course of the past year having made more than 200 appearances for the club prior to joining Bradford for €960,000 in 1998.
