CHERRIES boss Sean O'Driscoll has today made another raid on the loan market by snapping up Southampton defender Matthew Mills.

Mills has joined Cherries on a month's loan from St Mary's and goes straight into the squad for tomorrow's League One clash against Torquay at Dean Court.

The 18-year-old has been drafted in as cover for Cherries' crippling defensive injury crisis, which worsened over the weekend when Eddie Howe sustained a foot injury at Barnsley.

And although Howe today discovered that he had not suffered a fracture, he is likely to be out for between two to three weeks.

Swindon-born Mills, one of four footballing brothers, signed scholarship forms with Saints in July 2002 and made five league and cup appearances during a loan spell with Coventry at the start of this season.

See tomorrow's Daily Echo for more on this story.