League One latest: Portsmouth rivals Sheffield Wednesday want answer from ex-Watford and Crystal Palace free agent, key Gillingham midfielder to miss out on Blues visit as Ipswich striker sends clear message to QPR

Pompey rivals Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly pursuing a free transfer move for former Premier League defender Adrian Mariappa.
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According to Yorkshire Live, the Owls have offered a deal to the experienced 35-year-old who has been without a club since leaving Bristol City in the summer.

Boss Darren Moore has been keen to bolster his defensive ranks in recent weeks as the Hillsborough outfit continue to adjust to life in League One.

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Mystery surrounded who Wednesday would turn to, but it now appears ex-Watford, Reading and Crystal Palace centre-back Mariappa is the one the manager hopes can help shore up a defence that conceded twice in a 3-2 win at Accrington on Saturday.

Moore faces competition for his signature, however, with the same report claiming the Jamaica international has interest from a club in the Championship and from abroad.

Apparently, a self-imposed deadline of 5pm on Monday has been set for the player to make his mind up.

Speaking after his side’s win at the Wham Stadium, Moore said: ‘I’m very hopeful it is us he chooses.

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‘I’d welcome the opportunity to work with the player and I think he’d be big for us at the stage we’re at now.

Former Watford, Reading, Crystal Palace and Bristol City defender Adrian Mariappa is wanted by Sheffield Wednesday.  Picture: Clive Mason/Getty ImagesFormer Watford, Reading, Crystal Palace and Bristol City defender Adrian Mariappa is wanted by Sheffield Wednesday.  Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Former Watford, Reading, Crystal Palace and Bristol City defender Adrian Mariappa is wanted by Sheffield Wednesday. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

‘The reason I’m after him is that if he signs, he’s able to play. It’s him and not anybody else because anybody else we’d have to get fit and if that’s the case we might as well work with what we’ve got until the January window, whereas this lad can step in straight away and play.’

If Mariappa signs and is fit enough to play straightaway, then he could feature against Pompey on Tuesday, December 7, when the Owls travel to Fratton Park in League One.

One player who definitely won’t face the Blues in the coming weeks is Gillingham captain Kyle Dempsey.

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Pompey travel to the Priestfield Stadium on Saturday but the inspirational midfielder won’t be involved as he is set to go under the knife for a cartilage problem this week.

Dempsey is expected to be out for three to 10 weeks, adding to Gills boss Steve Evans’ injury problems.

Speaking after his side’s 2-0 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Crewe on Saturday, Evans said there was a clear reason why Gillingham are currently on a run of one win in 12 games.

He told KentOnline: ‘You have to understand why you are not winning games and analyse the performances and it is quite clear to anyone with an interest in Gillingham. Why are we not winning? Because nine or 10 of our players are not available, simple as that.

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‘For any club in League One, Crewe have two or three out, but give them nine or 10 and try and win a game. Tough, eh?’

No doubt Evans would love the number of players Paul Cook currently has at his disposal at Ipswich – not that those options helped the Tractor Boys as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Sunderland.

The defeat was Town’s sixth of the season in League One – a result which allowed Pompey to leapfrog them in the table after their 2-1 win against AFC Wimbledon – and the third straight game that saw 11-goal top scorer Macauley Bonne record a blank.

The on-loan QPR man remains hot property, though, and he has made his intentions clear that Portman Road is where he wants to stay for the remainder of the season amid talk of a return to west London in January.

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The striker told the EADT: ‘At the minute I can’t really say a lot but I’ll say it straight – I don’t want them to recall me.

‘I don’t want to go back and be third or fourth choice, coming on for a few minutes when I’m thriving here.

‘I found my goal trail, I’ve found my half a yard again. I was sitting on the bench, gaining weight eating Jaffa Cakes (at QPR) and I can’t do that.

‘So I’ve found my sharpness, I’m on a role and if they put a pause on that I’ll be angry.

‘That’s not me hitting out or sending shots at QPR, it’s just me being honest. I’m a footballer and I’m happy here.’