EDDIE Mitchell has confirmed talks were held with Rotherham last week over a loan deal for striker Matt Tubbs – before the star’s goal against Brentford scuppered the proposed switch.
Millers boss Steve Evans, who managed Tubbs at Crawley Town, said yesterday that his club had reached an agreement to take Tubbs to the New York Stadium before his midweek exploits.
And Mitchell last night insisted Tubbs was now very much part of Cherries ’ plans after his last-minute equaliser against Hartlepool last weekend and goal in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with the Bees.
The Cherries chairman told the Echo: “I spoke to Steve Evans and said that if Tubbsy wasn’t going to feature over the next few weeks, we would consider letting him go on loan.
“Steve has been pestering me for ages and, obviously, I want Tubbsy to be playing football. But he featured for us and did very well and I would imagine he will feature against Swindon.
“Steve Evans has been phoning me and I said we might let him go as long as they paid his wages and he wasn’t going to play for us.
“At the moment, though, he is very much in our plans. We need goals and he can provide them, so he is staying here.”
Evans told BBC Radio Sheffield: “Matt came on as a sub and scored a last-minute goal for them, which he’s always capable of doing, and scored again on Tuesday.
“He did really well and took his chance and what we thought was going to happen now won’t after what he did on Tuesday.
“It’s gone. There is no point in me thinking about Matt Tubbs.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan is targeting a return to action before the end of the season.
Flahavan has been sidelined since sustaining a shoulder injury in Cherries’ final pre-season clash against Bristol City and is likely to be out for six months.
Flahavan told the club website: “My main aim now is to get myself fit and strong. If I could be involved at the end of the season, it would be a bonus, but I’m probably looking at trying to come back stronger for next season.
“I’ve just got to keep my head right, not let it get on top of me and focus on my rehab.”
