Lewes manager Kevin Keehan is working hard to keep Aswad Thomas and Joe Tabiri at the club.

Thomas has been a big hit since joining the club on loan from Charlton at the end of September.

His loan runs out on January 1 and Keehan is in talks with the Addicks about extending it until the end of the season.

The deals which have brought Barnet midfielder Tabiri and Albion striker Sam Gargan to the club finish after Saturday’s trip to Stevenage.

Keehan’s hands are tied by the club's financial situation but he is desperate to keep his loan rangers and add up to two more to his squad.

A deal for one striker to make his debut against Eastbourne Borough on New Year’s Day has already been set up and Keehan hopes to take one more player on loan as well.

Keehan said: “We are talking to Charlton at the moment and also to Barnet and Brighton about Joe and Sam.

“We will have to see what Sam Gargan’s situation is with his injury before we commit ourselves there.

“We want to keep them, especially Aswad because he gives us so much pace going forward and defensively.

“Joe gives us attacking options. He has got some good qualities but we need to get him controlled a bit more.”

Thomas, 19, has already spent three months with the club, their only loan option is to extend his deal until the end of the season.

Left-back Thomas, who has also played in midfield for the Rooks, is out of contract at the end of the season but his best chance of earning a new deal may be playing regularly for Lewes.

Tabiri, who has scored once in eight appearances after being sent off on his debut, has spent two months with the club so far so Lewes could opt to extend that for a third month initially.

The 19-year-old is contracted to Barnet until the summer of 2010 but his situation may be complicated by Paul Fairclough standing down as manager at Underhill over the weekend.

Gargan has scored three goals in nine appearances during two spells on loan from the Seagulls but he has missed the last four matches with an ankle injury.

He was due to have a scan yesterday and Keehan will await the results of that before deciding whether to extend his loan or approach Albion boss Micky Adams for another player.

Lewes are desperate for strikers. Chamal Fenelon, who has stood in for Gargan, is currently struggling with a knee injury which forced him off against Eastbourne Borough on Boxing Day which leaves teenager Fred Foreman as their only other forward following Scott Taylor’s departure.

That situation should change on Thursday with the arrival of one player, whose identity Keehan is keeping quiet.

He said: “We have agreed with the club that he is coming to us, it is just a case of sorting out the paperwork.

“He is someone I wanted to take at the beginning of December. We agreed a deal then but because of the financial situation it did not happen. It will happen now providing we get the paperwork through.

“We definitely need forwards. The first eight (in front of the goalkeeper) are okay but it is the two up front that give us the cutting edge. If we had a cutting edge against Eastbourne Borough we would have won.

“Hopefully he won’t be the only one and I can get someone else in as well.”

Michael Standing remains doubtful for the New Year’s Day clash with a thigh injury.

Lewes are desperate to get the game on after Sunday’s home match with Kettering was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

The club are putting down tarpaulins to cover the area in front of the main stand which caused the Kettering match to be called off.

Keehan said: “It is only one area but it is about quarter of the pitch. We wanted the game on but I think the referee made the right decision.

“We will do all we can to get the Eastbourne game on. It is valuable income for the club as much as anything.”