TURN the clock back nearly five years and Basingstoke Town's potential new signing, Mark Peters, was capturing the sort of headlines for Saints that 16-year-old wonder boy Theo Walcott is doing now.

Back in October 2000 the teenage hotshot from Frimley, Surrey, was handed the perfect 17th birthday present of a professional contract after banging in 17 goals in just six games for Southampton's under-17s, including three hat-tricks.

Less than two years later, however, the Saints bubble burst. In February 2002 Peters signed a two-and-a-half-year contract for Brentford after joining the west Londoners on a free transfer.

He played more than 20 times for the Bees' first team but, after an injury-interrupted spell at Griffin Park, he dropped into non-league football with Farnborough Town and finished last season with Basingstoke's rivals Carshalton Athletic in the Nationwide Conference South.

Now 22, Peters is on the move again.

He scored twice as a trialist for Basingstoke in Saturday's 3-2 pre-season win over Millwall and Camrose boss Ernie Howe reckons he is the man to replace last season's top scorer Neville Roach, who joined Eastleigh earlier this summer.

Confirming his intention to sign Peters, Howe said: "He's been training with us since the middle of June and has got his head down and worked very hard. He was highly rated as a young player with Southampton and he still looks decent now."

Peters's arrival will help soothe Stoke's disappointment at failing to recapture Craig McAllister from Stevenage Borough.

The former Eastleigh and Pirelli General marksman top-scored for the Camrose Blues two seasons running before getting his big break into the Conference National with Stevenage last summer. But his opportunities were limited at Broadhall Way and, after loan spells with Gravesend & Northfleet and Eastleigh last season, he has signed for ex-Saints skipper Glenn Cockerill at Woking.

Howe confirmed: "Initially we enquired about taking Craig on a year-long loan but we couldn't afford his wages.

"We knew things weren't going that well for him at Stevenage and if there's a chance of getting a player like that back, even for the short-term, it's worth pursuing."

Howe, though, believes McAllister has a made a good choice in Woking.

"I always thought he went to the wrong club in any case," he reflected. "Woking tried to buy him off me before Craig went to Stevenage, but the money wasn't enough.

"He'll be better off there providing he gets the service."