Lewes are hoping to follow the signings of Shaun Wilkinson and Guy Butters with a third new arrival.

Manager Kevin Keehan is in talks with a player who could join the club permanently after taking former Albion pair Wilkinson and Butters on loan from Havant and Waterlooville for a month.

Midfielder Wilkinson followed team-mate Butters to the Dripping Pan yesterday and will go straight into the squad for tomorrow’s game with much-changed Mansfield Town.

The 27-year-old made his Albion debut as a teenager away to Swansea in December 1999 and went on to make 19 appearances for the Seagulls, scoring once in a Worthington Cup tie against Exeter at Withdean in September 2002.

He has subsequently played for Weymouth and Havant and was in the starting line-up as the Hawks lost 5-2 at Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup last season, having been 2-1 up at one stage.

Dubbed ‘Sergeant Wilko’ by Havant fans, he has fallen out of favour at Westleigh Park and Keehan is delighted to take him.

He said: “Shaun is so versatile. He can play in the middle of midfield, out wide or at full-back and at the moment that suits me very well.

“Havant are helping us out a bit with Guy as well. I think they are repaying some of the generosity we showed them in the two FA Trophy games!”

Keehan has selection problems for tomorrow's game with skipper Danny Cullip, fellow defender Andy Pearson and ever-present midfielder Joe Keehan all suspended.

Wilkinson’s arrival takes Keehan’s tally to six loan signings. He can have eight but name only five in his matchday squad of 16. However, Pearson will be ruled out for the next three games following his harsh red card at Havant on Monday by which time other loans are up for renewal.

Lewes were hoping to contest Pearson’s dismissal but any appeal has to be supported by video evidence which the Rooks do not have.

In addition to the suspended trio, Steve Elliott, Ollie Rowland and back-up keeper Dean Ruddy continue to be ruled out by injury. there are doubts over Tim Rivers (back) and Seb Wallis-Tayler (calf), although Keehan is hopeful both will be involved against Mansfield.

Michael Standing returns from a two-match suspension for tomorrow’s game while on-loan forward Josh Klein-Davies, who was cup-tied for the Havant game, is also back.

Keehan must decide how to use his teenage talents against the Stags. Even with Rivers out injured, he had five youth team players in the 16 at Havant on Monday including 17-year-old right-back Grant Hall who shook off a nervy start to produce a competent performance on only his second appearance for the first-team.

Keehan said: “I was nervous about putting Grant in against an out-and-out winger like Charlie Henry but he did well. Grant is a natural footballer but he hasn’t played men’s football.

“I had arranged for him to go to Whitehawk to play a few games but he hasn’t played for them yet.

“We are so thin on the ground that we are having to play the youngsters. In an ideal world we would be bringing them through one at a time.”

Mansfield arrive at the Dripping Pan with nine new signings in a squad totally reshaped by new boss David Holdsworth, who has a further eight new faces on trial.

Lewes: Banks, Barness, Wallis-Tayler, Hall, Butters, Breach, Wilkinson, Wheeler, Standing, Foreman, St Aimee, Charles, Klein-Davies, Cox, Liburd, Rivers, Storrie, Buss.

Mansfield: Marriott, Silk, Moses, Garner, Mayo, Arnold, D'Laryea, Woodhouse, Briscoe, Duffy, O'Connor, Ameobi, Howell, Shaw, Blackwood, Somner, Whatsize.