BLACKPOOL have tied up a deal to keep Wanderers youngster Niall Maher until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old full-back has not played a senior game for the Whites but has made an impression on manager Lee Clark at the struggling Seasiders.

Maher has made three appearances so far, including his first professional start against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend, and is expected to sign permanently at Bloomfield Road in the summer.

Former Wanderers captain Zat Knight has been handed a trial at Watford.

The big defender has returned to England from a brief spell playing for Colorado Rapids and is trying to earn a deal at Vicarage Road.

Knight left Wanderers last summer after five years, having signed for Aston Villa for £4.5million in 2009.

He made 191 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, scoring four goals, and inherited the captain’s armband from Kevin Davies when he left the club in 2013.