6 September 2007 :: by
Chris Hudson
Leeds United have signed Coventry City's Wayne Andrews and Leicester City's Dutch forward Mark De Vries on one-month loan deals as emergency cover for suspended pair Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol. Dennis Wise is short of strikers as Kandol and Beckford were dismissed as part of the appalling display of incompetence by card-happy referee McDermid in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Gillingham.
His other two strikers, Tore Andre Flo and Leon Constantine, are out of action with long term injuries.
Both loanees will go straight into the squad for Tuesday's League One away game against Oldham Athletic.
Mark De Vries has made eight appearances for Leicester City this season and scored one goal (against Watford). However, he has spent most of his two year career at Leicester on loan to Heerenveen of the Dutch Division One. Although born in Surinam, the 6' 3" tall De Vries has Dutch nationality. It is difficult to establish his true scoring ability from his stats while at Leicester as he has so many sub appearances to his credit. However, at his previous club Hearts, he made 72 Scottish Premier League appearances (inc 10 subs) and knocked in a healthy 29 goals, so the lanky forward certainly knows where to put the ball.
Coventry City signed Wayne Andrews in June 2006 but he has only made five substitute appearances for them since - scoring one goal in the process. Londoner Andrews was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday and (then League One club) Bristol City last season; in total he scored four goals in twelve games (plus seven sub appearances). Andrews who will be 30 years-old next month has had a peripatetic career full of loan deals and free transfers. Consequently, he has clocked up just 161 starts and 84 substitute appearances. He is five inches shorter than De Vries and it seems that Wise has gone for a classic little and large striking partnership with these loan signings.
Strikers Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol where dismissed for two yellow cards apiece and so only face one match bans.
