Lymington & New Milton are resigned to selling their talented left-sided defender Pete Smith to Ryman Premier outfit Salisbury City.

The 19-year-old was missing from the Linnets' line-up last night as they pummelled Portland United 5-0 to go third in the most open Wessex title race in years.

Bournemouth-based Smith has been itching to find a higher stage for his skills after an outstanding season, which has attracted interest from the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Cardiff City, Portsmouth and Cheltenham Town.

Promotion-hungry Lymington are loath to lose him but will stick by their promise not to hold him back now that a decent offer has come along.

Manager Ian Robinson explained: "I'll be disappointed to lose him, but this is how we said we'd play it. If a fair offer came in for him, we said we wouldn't stand in his way."

Salisbury, fuelled by a cash injection from former Winchester City director of football David Malone, are busily trying to recruit new players to bolster their fight against relegation from the Ryman Premier Division.

Their offer for Smith - nicknamed Peewee - is undisclosed, but Robinson said: "Peter's out of contract in the summer, so we've taken the realistic view that it's better to take something now than end up at a tribunal.

"It won't help us to lose someone of Peter's calibre, but if a club's going to have credibility they've got to take the honest line and do right by the player.

"I think Peter wants a stepping stone into league football and I'm sure his chances of being picked up will be far greater at Salisbury playing Ryman Premier football."

In Smith's absence, Kevin Reacord and Sam Carter each had a spell at left-back last night as Lymington kept the pressure on league leaders Winchester City with a convincing home win.

Four of the goals came from well-executed set-pieces with Paul Towler (2), Michael Jackson and Darren Powell all cashing in.

The only goal from open play was scored by fit-again Paddy James, who rounded the keeper after an excellent through-ball from Pete Smith's older brother, Trefor.

"It was a decent performance by us," said Robinson. "We knocked the ball around well in the second half.

"But credit to Portland, they tried to play football all the way through."