Oxford United continued to strengthen their squad during a weather-hit Christmas programme with the signing of Anthony Tonkin from Cambridge United.
The experienced left-back began his career at Yeovil where he started 95 games before joining Stockport. A £150,000 fee took him to Crewe Alexandra for three years before a return to Yeovil. The last three years have seen him starring at Grays Athletic, Forest Green Rovers and Cambridge.
United chairman Kelvin Thomas was delighted with the new arrival, saying: "Since Stevie Kinniburgh suffered his injury, we have only had one recognised left-back in the squad, so Anthony offers us great competition in that role, as well as a wealth of experience in this league and above."
Tonkin's arrival at the club brings the number of new faces in the squad to three, with central defender Jake Wright and midfielder Lee Fowler also settling into the side. Loanee striker Franny Green has also inked a permanent deal to the end of the season.
The club's 12th Man Fund partly financed the deal to bring Tonkin to the club.
"What makes the 12th Man scheme so great is situations like this,” said Kelvin Thomas. We knew we had to bring in a left-back and if you want to bring the best players in the league in to the club, then you have to spend money. We could not have brought a player of Anthony's calibre into the club without the 12th Man Fund paying for any fee.
“I see other clubs saying that we are awash with cash but that's not true – we are simply utilising all the resources available to try and make this squad as strong as it can possibly be. People should never forget that football is our business and we have to invest wisely in the right areas to try to bring success."
Chris Davis, spokesman for the 12th Man Fund, said: "The fund is delighted to have contributed to Anthony's signing at a crucial stage of the season.
“He is an experienced, talented player who we are sure will do well for the club.
"We would like to thank all the supporters who have contributed £25,000 to the fund since its inception, a sum massively in advance of what was originally envisaged by the organisers. Anthony's purchase is now the third squad addition the supporters have helped to fund.
"The 12th Man Fund will continue to grow over the coming months and we encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future."
The arrivals at the club could spell the end of Luke Foster's time at United.
Foster, 24, has been one of the U's most consistent stars since joining the club in 2007 but has been allowed to talk to other clubs by boss Chris Wilder.
Left-back Chris Carruthers and midfielder Marcus Kelly, who have recently been out on loan at Blue Square Premier sides York City and Kettering Town respectively, have been allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window.
