Kyle Lightbourne is bracing himself for another transfer this summer...even though he still has two years left on his contract at English Second Division club Stoke City.

The club failed to clinch a promotion play-off spot, which was a major disappointment as they had been runaway division leaders in the first half of the season. Now, whether manager Brian Little keeps his job or not, Lightbourne expects there will be some changes before the new season begins.

And, after being left out of the team for the last two games which Stoke lost 4-1 and 4-0, Lightbourne can't help but feel he could be one of the players looking for a new club in the summer.

"I would like to get things right at Stoke but the way things look at this moment it doesn't look like that's going to happen,'' said the striker, who returned home on Monday to join the Bermuda team for this week's Caribbean Cup round robin qualifying matches.

"I haven't scored the goals this season that I know I can score but I believe in my ability.'' In his first full season with Stoke, Lightbourne managed only eight goals.

Recently a Stoke fan threw a punch at him after another home defeat saw fans swarm onto the pitch.

"Sometimes as a player the crowd needs to have a little bit of belief in you as well,'' said Lightbourne.

"With the crowd I can sense things. Sometimes you can do something very good and they are not happy and somebody else can do something bad and they will cheer.

"As players everyone wants to be loved and I don't think the Stoke fans have showed me that. When I was at Walsall, and even when I was at Coventry, I never experienced this...the way the fans carry on, not just towards me but towards a lot of the players.

"At times it can be difficult, like you're playing against the fans as well.

I have no problems with any of the players at the club, even the manager, I get along with all of them. But there seems to be something wrong that nobody can put their finger on.

Lightbourne added: "Last year when they were in the First Division, up until Christmas they were third in the league and ended up getting relegated.

"This year we were first in the league and don't make it to the play-offs.

Since they moved to their new stadium they just can't seem to keep it up for a full season.'' While Lightbourne, 31 in September, faces another season in the Second Division, two clubs he previously played for -- Fulham (on loan) and Walsall -- are heading out of the division on automatic promotions.

He left Walsall 18 months ago to fulfill his ambition of playing at a higher level by signing for Premiership side Coventry. But that didn't work out and Lightbourne had a brief spell at Fulham before eventually signing for Stoke.

"The move (to Stoke) hasn't been good at all, but you never know what's around the corner in football,'' said Lightbourne who expects to discuss his future with the manager when he returns to England next Monday.

"I've had a lovely time in England and still think I've got a couple of good seasons left in me,'' he stressed.

"I hope the manager keeps his job, I get along with him and never had any problems with him.'' Earlier this season Lightbourne predicted his former club, Walsall, would fade in the run-in for promotion, but they have been as surprising as Manchester City and Stoke have been disappointing.

"They have probably been the most consistent team all season,'' Lightbourne conceded.

Lightbourne facing axe From Page 19 "Walsall have been in the top three all season and they are one of the clubs that everyone wants to see do well. I was listening to their game on the radio on Saturday and I've still got a lot of feeling for that club. I felt really good about them going back up into the First Division.

"There are clubs that size in the First Division, Grimsby, Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, no bigger club than Walsall, so they can hold their own in that division. They just need to consolidate, try to get a good mid-table finish and build on that.'' Lightbourne scored 76 goals for Walsall in his last three seasons with the club, including 25 in 1996-97 when the team just failed to make the promotion play-offs. Now they have another 20-goal striker.

"Walsall's top scorer this season was Andy Rummell who last season played for Southend United who were relegated to the Third Division,'' said Lightbourne.

"He only scored two goals for them last season, then he turns around this season and scores over 20 goals for Walsall.'' Lightbourne is relishing his chance to return to the Bermuda team and hopes he can find his goal scoring form again to lift the team into the finals of the Caribbean Cup.

Tonight he will lead the attack, probably alongside Dwight Basden, against the Bahamas at the National Sports Centre.

"I enjoyed it when we played against DC United and hopefully we can carry it on from there,'' he added.

Kyle Lightbourne: looking forward to Bermuda's match against the Bahamas this evening after having been dropped for the last two games by his English club, Stoke City. The 30 year-old striker fears he could be searching for a new club by season's end.