Cambridge United have brought in Preston North End goalkeeper Jack Walton on a short emergency loan.
Their main keeper Jake Eastwood is banned for Wednesday’s match against League Two leaders Bromley after getting sent off during their 4-0 win over Notts County for handling the ball outside the box.
Advertisement
Ben Hughes came on to make his league debut as a substitute, having only played four Vertu Trophy matches before.
“Jakes being sent off wasn’t ideal for anybody, but in the heat of the moment these things happen, we understand that, especially at this stage of the season when emotions are high and you have to make marginal decisions on the spot,” boss Neil Harris told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
“Ben came on and was outstanding, but to ask him to go again in such a pivotal game would have been a really big ask and a huge gamble, so we decided to go down the route of seeing what options were available to us.”
Walton, 27, has featured five times for Preston this season since joining last summer but hasn’t played since January.
Advertisement
He started out at Barnsley and spent two seasons on loan with Dundee United in Scotland where he made over 70 appearances.
“We have some excellent references on him and the lad was so excited and desperate to come and play, and he’s got the character and the mindset to do it, which is a strong starting point,” said Harris.
Cambridge sit third in the table with just four games left as they aim to bounce straight back up to League One after last season’s relegation.
