Phil Parkinson today took a swipe at Exeter as he welcomed Luke O’Brien back into the City fold.

The long-serving left back’s move has stalled because the League One side need to move a player on first.

The transfer window shuts tomorrow night and Parkinson wants O’Brien to switch his attentions back to Valley Parade. But the City boss also had a pop at Exeter for stringing the defender along.

He said: “We let OB go for talks then all of a sudden Exeter told us they’re not in a position financially to go through with the deal.

“They spoke to him (a week) last Friday in a hotel in Oldham. Once you’ve had that initial chat, there’s no way you should then take him all the way down there without being able to go through with it.

“Whether that still happens I don’t know but at the moment it’s not.

“I told him on Thursday that he would not be included this weekend but if the deal’s not done by Monday, you come back in the training ground, roll your sleeves up and get ready to go again.”

O’Brien could be needed after Rob Kozluk picked up City’s fifth red card of the campaign in the 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers.

Full story in today's Telegraph & Argus