BOSS Tom Killick admits Poole Town are facing the prospect of losing star player Will Spetch as higher-level clubs monitor the in-demand defender.

Killick revealed that a number of potential suitors – including professional outfits – were tracking the coveted talent after Poole had taken the unusual step of alerting them to his qualities.

Daily Echo sources claim League Two rivals Portsmouth and Exeter City – plus Conference team Forest Green – are keeping tabs on Spetch.

Swanage lad Spetch, who has scored 20 goals in 157 appearances for the Dolphins, has earned rave reviews at Tatnam since switching from left-back to centre-half.

The 22-year-old appeared in a reserve match for Cherries during a trial under Lee Brad-bury in 2011 but he has since grown in stature and reputation, scooping a player-of-the-year double for Poole last season.

Representatives from QPR, Watford, Cherries, Portsmouth, Dagenham & Redbridge, AFC Wimbledon and Ebbsfleet were rumoured to have been among the crowd for Poole’s FA Cup re-play against Staines on Tuesday, with some of those scouts running the rule over Spetch.

And Killick believes Spetch is beginning to “outgrow” Southern Premier outfit Poole.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “Taffy Richardson, Warren Cummings and I have alerted certain clubs to Will’s abilities, with the blessing of Poole Town. From a playing point of view, losing Will would be a disaster. Whatever the financial ramifications, it wold be a disaster but, sometimes, you have to make decisions that are in the interests of the player.

“I believe the people at Poole Town are, thankfully, very good at looking after players’ interests. Will deserves, and should be given, an opportunity, so the club has given its blessing to me and other people to assist with that.

“Some of the interest is because of what we have instigated but some of it is because his performances are just coming to people’s attention in the normal way.

“I am very aware of it all because it is happening with the club’s blessing. I have spoken to Will about this and what he has to try to do is concentrate on his own performance, assume nothing will come of it and do as well as he possibly can for us because the minute you start becoming distracted, performances suffer.

“It is very important that, mentally, he approaches things in the right manner.”

Should Spetch leave Tatnam, Dolphins could demand a transfer fee after Killick reported the defender was currently under contract to Poole.

Poole previously nurtured the talent of striker Charlie Austin, who has gone on to make his name as a prolific Football League frontman with Swindon, Burnley and now QPR.

Killick added: “All I would say on a personal level is that you get to a point where players have almost outgrown the club. We saw it with Charlie Austin and I think we are now seeing it with Will Spetch.”