TOM Killick is set to step up his search for an alternative right-back after conceding his swoop for TJ Cuthbertson is unlikely to bear fruit.

Sholing’s recent signing topped the Poole manager’s wish list as Dolphins defender Sam Clarke suffered a spate of injuries before last week announcing his unavailability due to work commitments.

However, Boatmen boss Dave Diaper quickly moved to quash the prospective transfer and claimed Cuthbertson was “adamant” he wanted to stay at the Silverlake Arena.

And after discussing terms with the former Blackfield & Langley player, Killick admitted to widening his search with Cuthbertson not keen on clocking up the extra miles.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “It is always difficult to persuade players in the Wessex League who are relatively well rewarded to make the extra commitment required at our level.

“Financially, Sholing are still a Southern League club and you can understand players who want to earn money for fewer hours on the road.

"There is no criticism of that on my part because different players have different things going on in their lives.

“When we were in the Wessex, we benefited from the same situation when Southern League clubs came calling.

“We are still talking to TJ but I am also actively looking elsewhere. We are constantly talking to different managers and there are two or three other possibilities at the moment.”

On the back of completing just four league fixtures over the past seven weeks, Poole will bid to keep their promotion push on track at Hungerford tomorrow (3pm).

Other than long-term injury victim Richard Gillespie, Killick has a full squad to choose from for the trip to Bulpit Lane.

On the match, Killick added: “It is one of those places where you know you will never get an easy ride. They have some very good, strong defenders who are very competent at this level.

“We are away to a really tough opponent but really, we just desperate to play a game. After seeing so many called off in recent weeks I think it is almost a case of worrying about the games once you know they are on.

“I know everyone at the club is working as hard they can to get home games on at the moment but maybe it is a good thing that the next two games are away so we can increase our chances of playing.

“We are bringing in players on loan and they are barely seeing any game time. The backlog is really not helping us now.”

Dolphins: (from) Buchel, Emmerson, Martin, Charles, Whisken, Pettefer, Chiedozie, Devlin, Elliott, Brooks, Preston, Cann, Spetch, Turner, Lowes, Davies, Hutchings.

  • Stoke Sentinel yesterday reported that Port Vale had decided not to make an offer for Dolphins defender Will Spetch.