Stefan Cox and Jamie Butler could be the next big names to leave Tooting & Mitcham for bigger things having been on trial at Blue Square Premier side Lincoln City last week.

Winger Cox played as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Championship side Nottingham Forest and is also expected to line up against Grimsby Town on Tuesday night.

Goalkeeper Butler played the second half of the Imps’ 2-1 defeat to Gainsborough Trinity last Wednesday and Terrors manager Mark Beard believes both he and Cox can make the step up.

“Definitely they can make an impact at that level,” he said.

“I would never step in anyone’s way if they got on offer from a club like Lincoln.

“I know Steve Tilson [Lincoln manager] from my Southend days and he rung me up about the two of them and I recommended he took them on trial.

“We will have to see what happens.”

Mark Gradsieski scored on Saturday as the Terrors drew 1-1 with Walton & Hersham in their latest pre-season friendly.

That followed a 2-1 defeat to an AFC Wimbledon XI last Tuesday in which Jamie Butler scored from the penalty spot.

“Pre-season has been brilliant,” said Beard.

“We have played five games now and won three of them but it is not about results at this stage, just fitness and getting the players to gel together.

“They have done that very well and on Saturday they looked solid at the back and strong going forward.

“Everything is about peaking at the start of the season.

“We haven’t done much work on systems and tactics yet, we are just using the time we have to get fitness up by playing games.”

Tooting were originally expected to play a Queens Park Rangers youth team on Thursday night but the Hoops moved the game to Tuesday and then cancelled it altogether because of a tour to Belgium.

Tooting instead hastily arranged a game against Ryman Division One South side Whitehawk for tomorrow.

“QPR might have attracted a bit more of a crowd but it would only have been a youth side we were playing against,” said Beard.

"Whitehawk will be a much more competitive game."

Striker Lee Newman is expected to play on Tuesday having missed two games with a tight hamstring.

The Terrors play Boreham Wood at home on Saturday, then travel to Whyteleafe on Tuesday.

Their first Ryman Premier game is at home to East Thurrock United on August 20.