ANDY KING admits he faces a tough challenge to unearth a powerful, pacy defender to fill the shoes of 'The Beast'.

Jerel Ifil was due back at Watford this morning having completed his third loan spell at the County Ground.

The 21-year-old finished on a high, with a man-of-the-match performance in Saturday's 2-0 win over Colchester United. It was a victory which lifted King's men into sixth spot in Division Two.

Supporters roared 'sign him up' during the latter stages of Saturday's clash but much as King would love to bring him in, Ifil's employers are not keen to sell.

Town's formal offer to sign the player earlier in the season was rejected by the Hornets and any lingering hope of bringing him to the County Ground on a permanent basis all but died when Ifil penned a new two-year deal with the relegation-haunted First Division club.

While acknowledging Ifil's contribution, King is keen to address the issue of finding a replacement.

The Town boss, who first suggested buying Ifil a year ago, said: "He (Jerel) is going to be a great loss.

"He brought a power and pace which I haven't got in his position at the club. I have now lost that with him going back.

"My job as a manager is to replace that. Make no mistake, it's a tough job.

"If you can't get 'the one' then you try and get as close as you can."

King is not expecting his team to suddenly fall apart with the loss of one player but admits an injection of pace at the back will allow him to feel more comfortable.

He said: "I'd rather have a quick good defender than a slow good one.

"To keep us going I need a certain type, with that pace and power I've talked about."

One possible solution could be former Finland Under 21 international Mathias Lindstrom.

The 23-year-old central defender was a spectator at the County Ground on Saturday and he will now spend another week training with the squad.

King has been impressed with what he has seen so far and if Lindstrom continues to impress, then a deal could be in the offing.

As for finance, King joked that he might ask for a whip-round with a bucket to aid his cause.

Town's reserves are scheduled to entertain Reading in the Pontins Holidays Combination Cup on Wednesday (2pm).

Victory for Alan Reeves' men over the Royals should see them progress to the knock out stage of the competition.