CINDERFORD Town manager John Brough hopes to hold on to full-back Elliot Keightley despite the advances of Shortwood United, who put in a request to speak to the player.

Keightley’s playing time at The Causeway this season has been less than he would like, Brough admitted, but the man in charge of Cinderford’s title challenge has spoken to the 21-year-old right-back in a bid to convince him to stay.

“Shortwood have lost a right-back, which is why they’re interested, and are allowed to speak to him now that the seven-day approach has expired,” Brough explained.

“Myself and Gerry [Oldham, assistant manager] have spoken to him and told him we want him to stay but he probably hasn’t played as much as he would have liked to.

“He’s got the right to speak to them and he said he was going to do that out of courtesy to them and see what they have to say.

“With his position it’s unfortunate because we’ve got one of the best – if not the best – right-backs in the league in Keiran Thomas and he understands that Keiran, being club captain, will be first choice.

“But there are times when we push Keiran into midfield or when he has been played further forward and I would like to keep him.”

Ex-Cheltenham Town man Keightley could be the latest in a trio of departures from the Causeway club, with Joe Turley having left to go travelling and Joe Parker returning to parent club Gloucester City after a successful loan spell.

Mike Green, another Gloucester player, joined Cinderford briefly before the Christmas period but with both of Town’s fixtures over the holidays called off due to the weather, Green returned back to Tim Harris’ side and has performed well to force his way into the first team.

As a result, Brough is hoping to add ’three or four’ new players to the squad to bolster competition for places, ideally in the market for a midfielder and a forward to replace Turley and Parker, by the end of the week.