Fleetwood Town sign prolific Irish forward ahead of January Portsmouth clash as Peterborough battle to keep defender

The January transfer window is likely to play a pivotal role in determining both the League One promotion race and the battle to avoid relegation to the fourth-tier. Portsmouth are involved in the former and John Mousinho’s side will hope to maintain their place at the summit as they face mainly bottom half opposition in Cheltenham, Leyton Orient, Fleetwood and Port Vale this month.

Pompey will enter the game against bottom side Fleetwood when the two teams meet at the Highbury Stadium on Saturday 20 January. However, the hosts will be boosted by the arrival of new manager Charlie Adam who has already started to strengthen his team for the second half of the season.

Peterborough, who are expected to push Portsmouth all the way in the promotion race, also face a battle of their own to keep hold of one of their prize assets. With that in mind we have rounded up all of the latest headlines and transfer stories from League One.

Fleetwood confirm the signing of non-league ace who could feature against Portsmouth

Charlie Adam has confirmed his first ever signing as a football manager as he looks to revive Fleetwood’s faltering campaign. The Cod Army are five points adrift of safety and are amongst the lowest scorers in the league with just 21 goals from 24 games.

Adam has turned to striker Ronan Coughlan from Irish side Waterford in a bid to boost his team's chances of beating the drop. Coughlan is a 27-year-old striker who scored a staggering 37 goals in all competitions for the League of Ireland side last season.

Coughlan broke the First Division scoring record last term and helped the Blues secure promotion by bagging the winner in the play-off final. He spent three years of his career at Huddersfield Town as a youngster and has since played in Ireland with Bray Wanderers, Cork City, Sligo Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

Peterborough turn down three approaches from Premier League club as they aim to keep hold of prize asset

Peterborough have reportedly rejected three separate bids for defender Ronnie Edwards, who is the subject of interest from Crystal Palace, according to the Peterborough Telegraph.

Edwards has been in fine form this season and has been an ever-present in the backline with 25 appearances. At just 20-years of age he has caught the eye with his composure and consistency. The young defender has been a mainstay in the team since he was 17 and he has already amassed over 100 league appearances at both Championship and League One level.

Chairman Barry Fry claims that the club have turned down three bids from Crystal Palace, which do not meet the club’s asking price. Edwards is currently the captain of England U20s team and the club are keen to keep the star to boost their promotion chances.