Eastleigh are hatching plans to talk experienced non-league striker Warren Patmore out of retirement.

The Sparshatts Stadium club are without broken leg victim Paul Sales until at least Christmas and are looking at bringing in temporary replacement to boost their firepower.

They have already made an initial call to ex-Yeovil and Woking marksman Patmore.

And manager Paul Doswell is also exploring the possibility of loaning former Ten Acres favourite Craig McAllister from Stevenage Borough.

Patmore, 33, announced his retirement from football at Margate last season to concentrate on opening his own estate agents business.

He is well known in the Hampshire area having spent two seasons with Conference outfit Woking and die-hard Bashley fans will remember his loan spell there from Cambridge United back in 1993.

Doswell said: "There's nothing definite yet, but we've phoned Warren to see if he's willing to help us out while Salesy's injured.

"Nicky Banger and Chris Collins both played with him at Woking and we've heard he's missing football.

"We might have caught him at the right time."

McAllister is another possibility. Having sold him to Basingstoke Town in 2002, Eastleigh did their best to woo him back last season when his contract expired at the Camrose Ground.

But the former Pirelli General marksman was desperate for Conference football and signed a two-year deal for Stevenage Borough in May.

However, the 24-year-old has been sidelined by an Achilles problem and Doswell said: "Craig's only just coming back from injury.

"He should be fit within a week and we wondered whether getting him down to play three or four games for Eastleigh would work to ours and Stevenage's advantage.

"We're going to lose Nicky Banger for another two to three weeks through injury and suspension and another of our strikers, James Stokoe, has also got a suspension coming up, so we could do with cover."

The good news for Eastleigh ahead of tonight's Ryman Premier test at home to Worthing is that their casualty list is starting to shrink.

Chris Collins has had the all-clear to start playing again after missing the start of the season with an infected insect bite and fellow defender Robbie Marshall is up and about again having recovered from a viral infection.

Ryan Ashford also resumed training last night and should be named in the squad.

Back-to-back defeats by Wealdstone and Hendon have stretched Eastleigh's win-less run to six games, so they are desperate for a result tonight.

Worthing, like them, have taken seven points from as many games.

Doswell said: "We've had them watched and they're more of a passing side than the more physical London teams.

"I feel a lot happier now our injuries are starting to clear up and I'm still confident we'll have a good season."