EDDIE Mitchell last night confirmed Cherries’ latest attempt to ease their transfer embargo had been blocked by the Football League.

The Dean Court outfit approached the league earlier this month in a bid to recruit a loan player and boost Eddie Howe’s resources.

However, the league responded on Monday and refused the move, leaving Cherries to continue their promotion push with their current squad.

Boss Howe has just 19 professionals on his books, a squad boosted to 20 by assistant manager Jason Tindall coming out of retirement to help ease the situation.

But injured stars Shaun Cooper and Mark Molesley are both unavailable, while the likes of Scott Guyett, Sammy Igoe and Jeff Goulding have also endured lengthy spells on the sidelines this season, meaning Howe has had few options at his disposal.

Chairman Mitchell told the Echo: “We applied to the Football League to get our 20th man and they refused again.

“We asked the Football League board if they would lift the absolute embargo which was previously placed on the club to allow loan players, but they said no.

“It is disappointing we can’t at least carry 20 members of the squad.

“It puts pressure on the players because we are down to a smaller squad than the 19. We do need to get an extra person in to help. We’re just trying to get one loan player.”

The attempt to bring in a loanee is the latest in a series of moves to try to secure an easing of the long-standing ban.

Vice-chairman Jeff Mostyn last month issued a plea for a relaxation of the embargo following talks with league chiefs in Preston.

In part of a statement released to the Echo at the time, Mostyn said: “I have pleaded with the league, in light of the progress we have made, to put forward a case to the full board for a relaxation of the embargo – at the very least to enable us to sign loan players in January.

“We will await the outcome of their deliberation.”

The Echo got involved to try to assist the club in getting the embargo lifted. Our End the Embargo petition received support from 700 readers in August.

But the league’s stance remained the same and, apart from emergency loan signings Anthony Edgar and Marek Stech, Howe has been unable to add to his squad this term, making Cherries’ climb into the top three even more impressive.

When contacted by the Echo, a Football League spokesman declined to comment on Cherries’ embargo.