A short-term loan deal to send young Canaries defender Matthew Halliday to King's Lynn has fallen through.The 20-year-old was wanted by former City youth team coach Keith Webb at The Walks to help solve an injury crisis at the centre of his defence.

A short-term loan deal to send young Canaries defender Matthew Halliday to King's Lynn has fallen through.

The 20-year-old was wanted by former City youth team coach Keith Webb at The Walks to help solve an injury crisis at the centre of his defence.

Former City Academy player Greg Crane is out with an ankle problem, but Mark Warren has been able to shake off a minor knock - and that means Webb has not had to push the Halliday issue with the Canaries management.

Halliday, pictured, has been made available for loan, with Norwich boss Peter Grant - who allowed Lynn to take Andrew Cave-Brown and Andrew Fisk last season - keen to ensure his fringe players are given match time at a reasonable level of competition.

However, at the back of his mind is clearly the fact that he is short of central defenders of his own.

"The likes of King's Lynn have inquired about him (Halliday)," said Grant. "A couple of weeks ago a couple of other clubs inquired, but that is all it was, an inquiry. But we will see whether we are in a position to let them go out on loan because of the situation with a few injuries of our own.

"I don't want to keep boys back for the sake of keeping them back, I feel it is important for them to get game time. It is all right doing all your training, but you have to play."