Bradford players still waiting to be paid

Bradford City players found out yesterday they will not be paid until the end of the month. The First Division club had a meeting with the Professional Footballers' Association, when they were told that the salaries – unpaid since May – are going to be late by up to three weeks.

Originally the players were due to be given their back pay and wages before the season starts on Saturday, but the only money given to the staff has been a £5,000 loan from the PFA and that has to be returned once the club's payroll starts again.

Despite this problem, the PFA is pushing ahead with an agreement to let Bradford City into the Football League before tomorrow's deadline. The union is taking the view that it is better that their members are paid late than the club is wound up and they are left with nothing.

The Preston manager Craig Brown is trying to rush through the signing of Fulham's Eddie Lewis before the First Division season kicks off. The US World Cup player is keen to join North End and a £500,000 deal is in the offing although agreeing personal terms may prove problematic. Lewis may have to consider a reduction in pay to gain the opportunity of playing first-team football.

The Everton manager David Moyes is to give the 16-year-old Wayne Roone a senior start in a friendly against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.