York City striker Colin Alcide has signed for Cambridge United for a small undisclosed fee - confirming Evening Press reports that the U's were set to snap him up.

The 29-year-old has signed a two-year deal at the Abbey Stadium to end an 18-month association with the Minstermen.

He had joined City from Hull for £80,000 in November 1999, being signed by ex-boss Neil Thompson, and had one year left on his Bootham Crescent contract.

As first revealed in the Evening Press, Alcide rejected a shock transfer deadline day switch to Cambridge after the two clubs had agreed a fee of around £35,000.

But - just as we reported again a fortnight ago - the Division Two outfit had not given up hope of signing the Huddersfield-born hitman and came back with a renewed offer, which this time he accepted.

Alcide has teamed up again with U's manager John Beck, who first brought the 6ft 2in player into professional football with Lincoln from non-League Emley for a fee of £15,000 in 1995.

Originally a defender, Beck converted him into a winger then striker before the Red Imps, for whom he scored 26 goals in 121 League games, sold him to Hull City for £50,000.

Never a prolific scorer, Alcide notched six goals in 31 games for Hull before switching to Bootham Crescent, where he notched two goals in 15 matches in his first term.

Injury problems forced current City boss Terry Dolan to use Alcide as a defender for a few games last season but he was mainly employed as a target man and netted six goals in 28 starts plus 15 substitute appearances.

Beck is planning to use Alcide as a utility player, admitting he has not signed him simply to get the goals.

"He can play anywhere - centre-half, left-back, left-wing or up front - and it's great for us because our squad is not going to be the biggest next season," he said.

"He's a quiet lad. When I signed him for Lincoln he took a certain amount of time to adapt to League football. But I've worked with him and know what he can do and he fits in nicely to our squad system.

"He's 6ft 2ins tall, and he's a good athlete. He has good, strong pace, he's very good in the air at flicking the balls on, and when he played on the wing and up front for us at Lincoln he did score some important goals. He's not an out-and-out striker/goalscorer but he can fill in up front when we get injuries."

Alcide, who joins former Lincoln team-mates Paul Wanless, Terry Fleming, and John Taylor at the Abbey Stadium, told the Cambridge United website he was expecting Beck to come in for him again.

"Deadline day was all a bit of a rush and there were a few minor details to sort out. I just wanted to make sure everything was right," he said.

"Even though we couldn't work things out he still said he wanted me, so I knew he would probably come back in for me in the summer."

Alcide's departure has reduced the number of forwards at City and quickly follows David McNiven's exit from Bootham Crescent. James Turley has also been released and Barry Conlon is expected to leave despite not signing for Colchester United after spending most of last season on loan at Layer Road.

Lee Nogan, who played a key role in City's late revival last term, is still considering his future, leaving Peter Duffield, who missed the vast majority of last season with a broken leg, Alex Mathie and youngster Scott Emmerson as City's forwards.

Updated: 11:16 Wednesday, May 30, 2001