Lewes manager Hugo Langton has warned fellow PitchingIn Isthmian Premier sides that they are “wasting their time” by trying to lure Aaron Cosgrove away from the club.

The 21-year-old striker has impressed since re-joining the club over the summer.

He has netted five goals in all competitions this season.

However, Langton has issued a hands-off warning to any of the Rooks rivals.

He said: “He is only 21, I have done a lot of work with him on other aspects of his game not just his finishing and I’m at the stage where he doing great, loving playing at the moment.

“If I offered him a friendly game on a Sunday morning he would be there.

“The biggest thing now is most teams we play in this division; within an hour of the final whistle, they have put in a seven-day trial for him.

“It is constant, not everyone but 80% of the teams we have played have tried to flex their muscles and take Aaron.

“They are wasting their time because my agreement with Aaron is when the times comes for him to move into the National League, that is when he will go.

“He is not going to go to any other team in the same division.

“I let the managers speak to Aaron, but every time he says the only person he wants to play for at this level is me.

“It is nice to know and when the time comes.

“Then he will leave with my blessing, I’ll hug him and thank him. But until that day comes he will remain a Lewes player.”

Langton revealed how vital Cosgrove is to them.

He said: “At the moment he is very important to us.

“It is not just the fact he is scoring goals; he has got lots of good attributes.

“There are some aspects of his game like his hold up play we have worked on.

“We have done things with him and he has become a better all-round striker.

“Like any striker, he thrives off confidence, belief and his manager backing him.

“I think he can go wherever he wants in the future because he has got the one attribute everyone loves, which is pace.”

The Rooks are back in action tomorrow as they travel to Isthmian Southern Central side Lowestoft in an FA Trophy third qualifying round tie.

But Langton knows his side will be in for a difficult afternoon

“Lowestoft are always a very tough opponent, they are very well organised, they have got lads there that have been at the club for a long time.

“It is a one-off game, so they will be looking to make a statement.

“For us to still be on the draw on Monday, we are going to have work very hard on Saturday.

“We are very conscious of that and we will look forward to it.

“I have been there several times before; it is nice to play football and it a very hostile place at times.

“They can be very hostile through the game to you, but will clap you off at the end.”