Bermuda's latest soccer professional, Kyle Lightbourne, could be figured in Scarborough's first team as soon as this weekend.

And that would pave the way for him to be involved in the team's most important match of the season -- against the team he supported as a youngster, Arsenal, in the fourth round of the League Cup.

To be eligible for the Arsenal match next Tuesday, Lightbourne has to first play for Scarborough in a league match, according to FA rules. Saturday's home match against front-runners York is the match he has to play in if he is to be eligible for the match against the former league champions that everybody in Scarborough is talking about.

"It's just a matter of getting on the pitch now,'' said Lightbourne last night. "I hope I can get a game before the Arsenal match because my first game can't be a cup game, it has to be a league game.'' Lightbourne travelled with the team to Saturday's match at Wrexham and though he was not kitted out, sat on the bench next to the coach as he watched the team lose 4-1 to slip to eighth in the Third Division standings.

"Instead of looking at the game at hand all the talk around the club is the Arsenal game and that's what let them down on Saturday,'' Lightbourne said.

"They didn't play too sharp.'' Lightbourne, who signed a six-month contract last Thursday, has now had three sessions under his belt. By the end of the week he should know of his chances of lining up alongside 24-year-old top scorer Darren Foreman in the team's attack. Foreman has scored 17 goals for the club so far this season and is the top scorer in the division.

"The other striker hasn't scored a goal in the league but has six in cup games,'' Lightbourne pointed out.

The Bermuda international explained that only the lack of the necessary paperwork prevented him from making his debut in the Wrexham match last weekend.

"From what I was told I would have been in the team on Saturday but all my paperwork wasn't through,'' he explained. "My work permit was okay but it was some papers they needed from PHC to give to the league. I signed some papers today.'' Lightbourne, who is about an hour-and-a-half drive from Shawn Goater at Rotherham, is pleased with the way he has been settling in at his new club. He is staying at a small hotel close to the ground and expects to remain there until the end of the season.

"I'm staying at the same place I stayed when I came here with Albie (Smith) and I'll probably be here until April,'' he explained. "It's quite comfortable here and is about five minutes by car from the ground.

"I don't feel homesick. I'm comfortable and looking forward to the challenge.

I just hope to get into the team as soon as possible.'' Lightbourne explained that Scarborough, who have 20 professionals on their books, do not have a reserve division team so they rely on teams from the area to provide opposition for their youngsters trying to break into the first team.

Scarborough face possibly their most crucial stage of the season in the next week when they take on second-placed York this weekend before entertaining Arsenal next Tuesday and then leaders Barnet on Boxing Day.

"We could win on Saturday and be back up to about fourth,'' Lightbourne said of the promotion race, which sees Scarborough just four points out of third place.

KYLE LIGHTBOURNE.