GAVIN Holligan won't pull on a first-team shirt for Havant & Waterlooville again - if boss Ian Baird has anything do with it.

The transfer-listed former West Ham and Wycombe Wanderers striker has been continually late for training since Baird took charge ten games ago and twice failed to show up at all last week, blaming a flimsy excuse about train times.

Ex-Saint Baird pledged: "He won't be figuring in the team as long as I'm here, that's for sure.

"He's extremely well paid and his conduct is unforgivable and sends out the wrong message.

"Let's put it this way: Jamie Campbell had to fly to Canada after one game to go to a funeral and he still got back for training on the Thursday. If he can make it back from Vancouver, what does it say about someone who can't get here from south London?" Holligan was signed by Baird's predecessor Dave Leworthy towards the end of last season and played a major role in the final push towards promotion to the Conference South.

But he has made only 14 league and cup starts for the club this term and has quickly got into his new boss's bad books.

Baird said: "If there are extenuating circumstances for players not coming to training, I'll always try and help, but I don't like people taking the mickey.

"It's a shame someone who's come out of league football can treat the semi-professional game so shabbily."

Hawks, now deep in trouble second to bottom of the Conference South, travel to 12th-placed Weston-super-Mare tomorrow with a question mark over top scorer Dean Holdsworth.

The former Wimbledon and Bolton marksman has had X-ray on a long-term shoulder injury this week.

"He's been told he needs rest but we can't really afford to lose someone who's scored 21 goals in 28 games," said Baird.

l Basingstoke Town must get their season back on track at home to Weymouth tomorrow after slipping outside the play-off places to sixth.

But, although manager Ernie Howe and his assistant Pete Peters were livid after last Saturday's tame 2-0 surrender at struggling Carshalton, they admit it's hard to go overboard criticising a team who, against the odds, have been in the top-six all season.

Peters admitted: "We're disappointed we've had a blip since Christmas but, if we'd climbed up from fourth bottom to sixth, we'd have been really excited.

"In many ways, the players have overachieved, but we expect more from them now because they've shown us what they're capable of.

"Realistically, though, we're still in quite a good position."

Stoke are confident of having fit-again striker Martin Whiddett and defender Ricky Allaway available tomorrow. Meanwhile, they have been linked with a move for Angolan midfielder Bernardo Cariata, who has been booted out by Weymouth.