PORTLAND United boss Simon Browne admitted he is still playing a waiting game over the personnel available to his squad this season.

The island boss, who took over from Gary Bailey in the summer, saw his side fall to a 3-1 defeat at home against Dorchester Town on Tuesday evening.

A number of the Portland squad that won the Wessex League title last season featured for the Magpies that night.

With an “informal link-up” officially having been set up between the two clubs, Browne is waiting to hear whether those players will be part of the plans at the Avenue next season.

“It’s well documented that we have this link up with Dorchester,” he told Echosport.

“I am still in that position where I am still waiting for a few of the guys up at Dorchester to be told one way or the other whether they are going to be involved or not.

“They had a big squad there on Tuesday with seven or eight changes. They can’t do that when they start the season.

“They have got to say ‘right it’s going to be X Y and Z playing’ and that would then, I would imagine, give some of the guys a decision to make as to whether they are going to stick with Dorchester and be a squad player, or whether they are going to come back to Portland.

“Obviously I hope a couple of them come back to Portland.”

He added: “I think he likes of Jamie Beasley and Chris Clarke, they are not looking to be squad players. They are at an age where they want to be playing first-team football. They have gone up to Dorchester to give it a go.

“I think if they are not regulars in the squad or in the side from the start, I would think they would want to go back to Portland.”

One youngster from Dorchester that did turn out for the Blues on the night was striker Sol Ayunga.

And Browne believes it would benefit the youngster to get more experience in senior football with the Blues.

He added: “I need to speak to Trevor (Senior) and to Stuart (Heath) about what to do with Sol. Sol needs to play more men’s football.

“He is only a young lad and there is bags of potential there but he has got to be getting used to being bashed around by big, ugly, centre-halves.

“He has got to work out how to play against them and bring that into his game.”

* The Blues play their final pre-season game tonight when they take on an Army XI at Grove Corner (7.45pm).