that would resurrect Stephen Astwood's dream of becoming a professional soccer star in England.

Astwood has been offered a one-year deal at First Division side Preston, but his application for a work permit was twice rejected because he does not meet the criteria for non-European Union players.

Although he has played in 75 percent of Bermuda's international matches, the Island itself is not in the top 70 world soccer nations.

On Tuesday Government officials in Britain said as far as they were concerned the matter had run it's course, saying unless any "startling'' new evidence was produced on Astwood's part he would not be allowed to join the club.

But yesterday Bermuda's Deputy Governor Tim Gurney told The Royal Gazette there was still some hope the deal could be resurrected. He said officials here had been working hard behind the scenes to reach an agreement whereby Astwood could enter Britain without a work permit.

"Government House have been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to try and see if we can find a way of resolving this,'' Gurney said.

"Through the White Paper on the relationship with overseas territories the Government (in Britain) plan to give full British nationality to all OT citizens which would allow people like Stephen to go to the UK without a work permit.

"The Foreign Office have been working with the Home Office to try and find some way of coming up with an administrative arrangement which would allow some form of employment or longer term stay to take effect before the legislation actually passes.'' Gurney added: "So although the Department of Employment turned down Stephen's work permit application because he does not qualify within their rules we are hoping the FCO will be able to work with the Home Office who are the guardians of immigration policy.'' Gurney said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were "very sympathetic'' towards Astwood's "predicament''.

"We are hoping they will be able to persuade the Home Office to take a decision outside of the immigration rules which may be able to help Stephen,'' he said.

Gurney said he wouldn't like to call such a decision a precedent, but he felt the Home Office would have that "at the back of their minds.'' "It is not dead in the water,'' he said of the case, but stressed, "Neither is it a done deal.'' "Government House and the Foreign Office are trying to work on the Home Office to try and persuade, effectively Home Office Ministers, to agree to allow Stephen into the UK to join Preston North End without a work permit,'' said Gurney who described the talks as "backroom activity''.

He added it was unfortunate the Government had not been informed of Astwood's intentions as soon as he was due to travel to England.

"It is a pity that we weren't aware of it because I think we would have realised that technically Stephen wouldn't have qualified for a work permit and we would have done what we could to support in the application,'' he said.

"At the end of the day it is not too late. So what we trying to do is find a way around the criteria,'' Gurney said.