CRAIG Laird underlined the need for competition in his squad after it was revealed he had an approach for Wimborne goalkeeper Gerard Benfield turned down.

The Avenue boss confirmed earlier this week that he did try to land the Cuthbury keeper but a move was not on the cards, meaning Shane Murphy is set to keep the number one shirt for the home clash with Dunstable Town tomorrow (3pm).

Asked if he was still looking to bring in a goalkeeper as further competition for Murphy, Laird said: “We are always looking to improve the squad.

“Shane has the shirt at the moment, he is a really good lad and works hard at his game. I have watched him train and he does work really hard

“He has the position at the moment and, hopefully, he will keep it by putting in top performances.

“But if he gets injured or his form dips, we want someone available to us that we can bring in."

He added: “We need to strengthen in every position.

"Competition is a healthy thing and I think players need to be looking over their shoulders all the time thinking ‘right, I need to play well every week to stay in the squad’.