TREVOR Parker is banking on two of his Bashley old boys to provide Eastleigh's youngsters with a guiding light in the New Year.

Postman Jeremy Stagg should become more regularly available once the Christmas rush is over and striker Leroy Whale is ready to start training again after following Stagg down south from Wessex rivals Andover.

Both players were key cogs in the Bashley machine which, under Parker, powered into the Dr Martens Premier fast lane and, although now in the twilight of their careers, they are still rated highly by their old Recreation Ground boss.

Midfielder Stagg has been regaining his fitness in Eastleigh's reserves for several weeks now, but with work commitments set to escalate, he is unlikely to break into the first team until the festive celebrations are over.

As for former Enfield and Yeovil frontman Whale, he still has work to do to get back in shape after injuries and pressure of work forced him out of the Andover reckoning.

"Leroy is threatening to start training, but he hasn't done anything yet," said Parker. "He's lost a bit of enthusiasm for the game and I shan't be putting any pressure on him. I only want him here if he wants to do it. As long as he and Staggy are both enthusiastic, they could be a big help to us."

Although he made his name as a striker, Whale occasionally dropped back into a midfield role at Andover, but it's his goal-poaching prowess that Eastleigh are crying out for.

Scoring has become something of a lost art for the Ten Acres crew this season. They have bagged just 17 goals in 12 league games and Parker reflected: "We've got the personnel to put goals away but it hasn't been happening for us. We've got a very young side who are playing some good stuff, but I think we've been over-elaborating a bit in our build-ups.

"Saturday's 1-0 win over Moneyfields was the tale of our season - we could easily have got more. But it was a heck of a goal by Ricky Fernandez. The lad has taken a while to get going this season but I rate him very, very highly."

Latest addition to Parker's squad is ex-Histon midfielder Tristan Cook who was with Ipswich Town as a youngster.