Jack Pearce admits he may have to turn his back on Sussex as he strengthens his threadbare Bognor squad.

Rocks finished the season with just 15 players, including loan goalkeeper Craig Stoner and double-signed Chris May, who also played for Broad-bridge Heath.

Pearce hopes to release five or six of those players and bring in seven or eight new faces.

But he admitted: "I have to find replacements before I get rid of anybody.

"At times last season we played football as good as anyone in the south but we have got to be much tougher.

"I will be trying to attract other players to the club and the chairman has said he will support me. I shall probably be looking around South London.

"I can't compete in Ports-mouth and I have never had much joy in the Brighton area."

Pearce has traditionally scoured the Portsmouth area for players, including the Birmingham and Rutherford brothers, Jamie Howell, David Wright, Nicky Wyatt and Kevin Murphy of the current squad.

But the progress of Havant & Waterlooville and Newport IoW has increased competition across the border.

Pearce has kept tabs on Aaron Cook for several months but may find the Havant defender to be out of his price range.

West Sussex has provided him with goalgetters Adie Miles and Matt Russell and left back Jody Rowland while Jay Pickering comes from Peacehaven.

Pearce added: "The last two years have been a failure for Bognor in terms of onfield performances but a solution is hard to find."