Colin Todd is ready to kick-start his City reshuffle as Lee Crooks joined Notts County.

Crooks, pictured above, was ending his 18-month stay today by signing for the League Two side until the end of the season.

And Todd hopes the midfielder's departure will allow him to move in to the transfer market to give his Valley Parade squad a boost after Saturday's morale-sapping late loss at Chesterfield.

"I need the green light from Julian Rhodes and I'm sure that will be forthcoming," he said. "But you can't hang around because everyone is looking for players and there are ones I've wanted who have already been snapped up.

"Crooksie served the club well, although there have been ups and downs, but you have to move on. Players are out of contract at the end of the

season and things have got to happen."

Chris Eagles, the Manchester United right winger Bryan Robson tried unsuccessfully to sign on loan two years ago, was believed to be high on Todd's wanted list but he has joined Watford.

Another possible target, Eagles' Old Trafford team-mate Danny Simpson, has signed for United's feeder club Royal Antwerp in Belgium.

Crooks was left out of the City squad at the weekend and instead watched his new club beat Darlington 3-2 at Meadow Lane.

His old team were cursing Adam Smith's late winner at Saltergate which leaves them eight points off the play-offs and entrenched in mid-table.

The winger's soft goal followed a terrible mix-up between Donovan Ricketts and left back Lewis Emanuel, who should have cleared the ball before the winger could get a touch.

Todd groaned: "There was no need for it because Lewie should have dealt with the ball and put it in the crowd. But we keep killing ourselves.

"It's self-inflicted with us which makes it so annoying. If we had come away having been battered then it would be easier to take.

"That was certainly a game we should have won because we controlled long periods.

"But football is about both ends and it's not happening in the attacking half for us at the moment. Our back four would love to see a goal going in at the other end because if we got our noses in front then we wouldn't have let one in like that."

Meanwhile, Dean Windass faces another Football Association rap after being charged with using abusive or insulting words to referee Darren Drysdale in the Valley Parade car park after last week's game against Brentford.

And City physio Steve Redmond has put in an appeal against a charge of using foul and abusive language to the fourth official at Southend last month.