SCOTT Booth has chosen to remain silent since his proposed dream move to Burnden turned into a nightmare.

The only reaction from the stunned Aberdeen camp has come from manager Roy Aitken, who admitted: "We are surprised by Bolton's U-turn.

"As far as we were concerned the deal was going to be completed if they could agree terms with Scott. Bolton and ourselves had agreed a fee but Colin Todd contacted me on Tuesday morning to say they had changed their minds.

"There's nothing Aberdeen can do about that. It's disappointing for the player but it's now a matter of him doing his best for us in the hope that something else might develop."

Todd maintained all along that he was never 100 per cent sure that the deal would be completed, despite agreeing a £500,000 fee with the Pittodrie club.

He knows his decision was tough on the player, who has had more than his share of injury setbacks in recent years, but insists it was taken in the best interests of Bolton Wanderers.

He remains determined to land a striker before next month's transfer deadline but his recent experience suggests the task will not be an easy one.

The front line has been one of the major successes of a free-scoring season. But Nathan Blake's two-match ban, which was completed today, highlighted the lack of cover in the department the boss is desperate to solve.

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