Johnson says Madden is a real bargain

Paddy Madden would still have been the bargain of the transfer window had he scored three rather than 13 goals, according to Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson.

The Glovers' Irish front man has proved a revelation since arriving in Somerset as a virtual unknown from Carlisle United on loan last year.

Starved of opportunities in Cumbria, the speedy striker has soon showed the Brunton Park outfit what they were missing by helping fire the Glovers to the brink of npower League One's play-offs places.

His latest pair of goals earned Yeovil a 2-1 victory over top-six rivals Milton Keynes Dons at Huish Park on Tuesday, taking his recent tally to six goals in three outings since turning a temporary move into a full transfer to Town at the start of the month.

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While Johnson remains tight-lipped about the exact fee paid for the 22-year-old, he admitted that Madden would still have been a steal at a fraction of the price.

"If he had scored three goals up to now, it would still have been a bargain, that's how little we paid for Paddy," said Johnson. "He's great to have around and he's an infectious runner. If he keeps his temper at the right level, it makes him very competitive.

"He's just a great finisher and he's showing week-in, week-out, he's a goal-scorer. If we can put the quality in, he will make a difference.

"He was the player I was looking long and hard for and I'm really pleased we've found him. You need a striker who is scoring goals because we have got players that can make goals. Ed Upson's ball for the header [Madden's second goal on Tuesday] was a great ball, so we have a bit of quality and often the one that sides don't have is the one at the end of moves, finishing them off. But Paddy is your man."

Madden – who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Glovers as soon as the current transfer window opened – netted either side of Antony Kay's leveller on Tuesday.

The forward then featured in the game's turning point, being felled by an off-the-ball elbow from the Dons' scorer, resulting in a straight red card from Mick Russell.

Johnson said he did not have a clear view of the incident, whereas his opposite number Karl Robinson branded Madden a cheat.

The Dons' manager said: "Madden has run at Antony Kay. He stopped a millimetre from his nose. Antony has put his hands up to protect his chest, and the guy has gone down holding his face. He cheated. It's not nice to say."

Johnson added: "It was right in front of me but, honestly, and I know it was against our player, I wasn't watching. The linesman wasn't watching, he was watching the ball like I was. The fourth official helped make the decision so we couldn't argue, shout or scream because we didn't know what really happened.

"We did really well when they had the lad sent off, because we played like 11 versus ten. We got our openings, we got back well and we did not lose concentration, which was important."

Johnson is unlikely to make any last-minute swoops for players before the transfer window shuts tonight.

Yeovil's manager has room to bring in personnel on a temporary basis but suggested he would be happy to wait until the loan window re-opens next week. He said: "I've still got the loan window and we've still got room for that. At the moment, I'm pleased with the group we have."