ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman is hoping to sign former Rochdale striker Leighton McGivern after handing Rory Prendergast the chance to pursue his Football League ambitions at Blackpool.

Prendergast has been given permission to spend pre-season with the League One side with a view to moving to Bloomfield Road on a permanent basis.

If he does enough to impress Blackpool boss Colin Hendry and earn a contract offer, the 27-year-old winger will end a three-and-a-half-year stay with Stanley.

"Blackpool expressed an interest in Rory earlier in the summer and although he is a good player we will never stand in the way of someone who wants to further their career," said Stanley chairman Eric Whalley.

"Rory has made no secret of his desire to play in the Football League and obviously Blackpool is a big club, playing a couple of levels higher than us."

Prendergast has scored 11 times in 70 Conference appearances for the Reds since helping the club clinch promotion from the UniBond League following his arrival from Bradford Park Avenue.

However, a parting of the ways began to look likely towards the end of last season when Prendergast, who would be likely to command a small fee, was also linked with a move to Bristol Rovers.

Coleman at times favoured Gary Roberts on the left flank and the former Welshpool wideman could again be asked to supply the ammunition for a strike force including McGivern, with the Stanley boss looking to tie up a deal for the 21-year-old following his release by Rochdale at the end of last season.

Coleman, who may also lose the services of striker Lee McEvilly, is keen to increase his attacking options and clearly sees McGivern, whose 30 appearances for Dale last season almost all came via the bench, as a useful prospect.

However, one player who won't be moving to the Interlink Express Stadium is Barnet goalkeeper Scott Tynan.

Coleman had expressed an interest in the 21-year-old as he looks for a replacement for the departed Jon Kennedy.

But with the Conference champions looking for a sizeable fee for the former Nottingham Forest youngster, who has handed in a transfer request in a bid to find a club in the North, Stanley have pulled out of the running.

"We spoke to Barnet earlier this week but obviously Scott is a very talented lad and the fee that they are looking for is too much for us to consider," Whalley added.

Stanley returned for pre-season training on Monday and preparations for the new campaign were given the perfect start as David Brown signed a new two-year deal.

The former Hereford and Hull City striker, 26, joined Stanley from the Bulls in March and has now converted his stay into a permanent one.

"It's good to get that sorted out. I think he will be a good acquisition for us," said Coleman, who expects full-back Chris Butler to follow suit in the next few days.

Stanley kick off their third Conference campaign on 13 August and Coleman is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to make it a successful one.

As well as introducing yoga to the training schedule, he has also lined up a working group from Liverpool University to monitor the players' fitness levels in a bid to help them stay the course in the promotion race.

"I think going full-time caught up with a few of the lads last season and I think in the second year we will see the benefit of it more, fitness and strength-wise," said Coleman.

"Towards the end of the season we did tire a bit so we have put a few plans in place this time to keep the lads on their toes and change things round a bit."

Meanwhile, Stanley have been confirmed as one of 12 Conference clubs to be included in the LDV Vans Trophy thanks to their 10th-placed finish in the league last season.

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