BASINGSTOKE Town's Craig McAllister was joined by former Southampton Academy player Brett Poate in a trial match for Queen's Park Rangers Reserves this week.

Unfortunately for the pair it was not the best platform to parade their skills as a wind-wrecked encounter ended 1-0 in Oxford United's favour.

Rangers' second-string boss Tim Breacker said afterwards: "Craig will train with us for the next two days and then I presume there will be some sort of decision.

"We may take at look at Brett Poate again and play him on a day when he has more of an opportunity to shine and show us what he can do."

McAllister is not the only member of Basingstoke's talented, young squad to be having trials with a Football League club.

Nineteen-year-old former Reading defender Ricky Allaway has spent this week training with Nationwide Division 1 strugglers Grimsby Town.

Allaway's brother Shaun, an England youth goalkeeping international, has been on loan with Grimsby this season from Premiership outfit Leeds United.

Meanwhile Stoke were due to talk to Liam Green last night having lodged notice of approach for the Lymington & New Milton left-sided midfielder.

Basingstoke manager Ernie Howe is hoping the former Christchurch and Eastleigh player will be a suitable replacement for Max Rooke, who has taken up a coaching post in the United States.

With Rooke, Allaway and McAllister all missing, Howe admits the balance of his side was all wrong for Tuesday's 4-2 Hampshire Senior Cup quarter-final exit at Andover.

He said: "Andover played well but we didn't deal properly with balls into the box. We score a lot of goals, but we like to hand them out too."

Stoke, down to seventh in the Ryman Premier Division, will need to tighten up defensively for tomorrow's visit of Kingstonian.

Former Rotherham, York and Northampton defender Ray Warburton has signed a contract that will keep him at Aldershot Town until the end of the 2003/4 season. The Ryman Premier leaders entertain Boreham Wood tomorrow looking to maintain their six-point cushion at the top.