EASTBOURNE BOROUGH defender Harry Ransom is poised to join Millwall at the end of the season.

And he will go with the blessing of Borough interim boss and former Lions manager Mark McGhee.

McGhee confirmed the Championship club and National League South Borough are in talks to close a deal which could see the 19-year-old centre-back make the switch to the FA Cup quarter-finalists after this campaign concludes.

McGhee, who managed the Lions between 2000 and 2003, said: “It’s fantastic for him.

“As a physical specimen, he has got everything a centre-half needs.

“He’s got a brilliant attitude too. He’s got a lot of progress to make but he has a great opportunity there.

“I spoke to ‘Chopper’ [Millwall manager Neil Harris] the other night and he is ready to have a go with him.

“To have a 19-year-old who has made 50-odd appearances at this level and been playing against men is a very positive thing. He has a chance.”

Although it is outside of the transfer window, former Albion boss and Scotland No.2 McGhee added: “They would be able to take him but he will be staying with us until the end of the season.

“But the chances are he will be going to Millwall.

“He is contracted but that is only to the end of the season, so there may or may not be a small fee, but we still have to discuss that.”

Harris, who saw his side suffer an agonising defeat to the Seagulls last Sunday after leading 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, is hopeful of a deal being completed with the Priory Lane club.

He told the South London Press: “Harry has trained with us on various occasions and we’ve seen him play extremely well for Eastbourne Borough this year.

“I’ve shown in the past that signing players from non-league is a big part in my belief that players, particularly young ones, get given an opportunity.

“Harry is a player we like and hopefully we might be able to do something to bring Harry into the club in the near future.”

McGhee is hoping for a response from his side tomorrow when third-placed Bath City visit Priory Lane.

After back to back draws, Borough slipped to a 2-0 loss at strugglers Hungerford last Saturday.

McGhee refused to sugar coat the performance or look for excuses.

He said: “After two draws, the players training well and the progress we felt we had made, last Saturday was a huge disappointment and a setback because they never turned up.

“The weather was diabolical but it was the same for Hungerford, so it was really disappointing.

“We’ve worked hard in training this week and we shall try again.

“If we get the type of performance we had in the other two games, then we have a reasonable chance of beating Bath.

“But if we play the way we did last week then there is no chance.

“We have got to produce a performance.

“The players have to raise their game to where they were the week before.

“They have showed me enough in the games and also training that they have a performance in them, so they just have to produce it. If they do that then we don’t need to worry about Bath. We shall just need our own game to deal with them, not worry about what Bath can do.”

The good news was experienced midfielder Sergio Torres returned to action off the substitutes’ bench.

McGhee said: “The 15 minutes he was out there was probably the best part of the game for us.

“Sergio is great to have around and in training and the boys like having him back.”