FORMER Eastleigh and Newport IoW goalkeeper Colin Matthews has gone missing from Havant & Waterlooville.

Ex-Saints striker Ian Baird, the H&W manager, hasn't seen the strapping 6ft 5in stopper at all during pre-season even though he lives just a stone's throw from Hawks' Westleigh Park home.

Matthews missed the end of last season with a bad knee injury but, according to Baird, that does not explain his absence.

He said: "As far as I know Colin's fit, but I haven't heard a dicky-bird from him which is disappointing to say the least."

After two previous attempts to sign Matthews, Hawks finally got their man last summer when he joined them from Gosport Borough.

He got the nod over joint number-one Gareth Howells to start last season, but was controversially sent off just three minutes into his debut at Weymouth and went on to make just 19 starts during an injury-hit campaign.

With Howells also injured, Hawks were forced to borrow Mark Brown from Wessex neighbours Gosport towards the end of last season, prompting Baird to sign a third keeper, Shane Gore, from Stevenage Borough this summer.

But he said: "We took up the option on Colin's contract and I told him I was signing another keeper but that they would all get their chance and whoever looked best in pre-season would play.

"But he didn't show for the first night of pre-season and I've heard nothing since.

"He can't have gone anywhere else, though, because we've still got his registration."