PAUL Cox is ready to part with one of his Barrow AFC strikers after bringing in Jordan White.

The Bluebirds boss has six forwards on the books after the signing of former Wrexham and Falkirk man White on a one-year deal this week.

Richie Bennett and Byron Harrison were the established strike-force last season, while Ross Hannah and Harry Panayiotou are both still on contract having been fringe players for much of the campaign and Dan Cockerline has been sidelined with knee ligament damage since December.

Cox – whose own future has been the subject of great speculation this week after National League rivals Hartlepool made an approach to appoint him as their new boss – admitted one of Hannah and Panayiotou could well be heading out of the Holker Street exit door.

Speaking before the Pools approach was made public, he said: “There has been talk of one or event two moving on, but at this minute I would only like to lose one, so that Bennett, Byron have support,” said Cox.

“There is talk of Ross Hannah or Harry Panayiotou moving to pastures new. That is to balance the books, but I also don't want us to be top-heavy, like we were last season, in terms of the centre-forwards and always having good players sat in the stands.

“This season, if we are top-heavy in any areas, I would like to get them out on loan, get them playing competitive football very quickly.”

Cox expects striker Cockerline to go out on loan early next season to help him regain his fitness.

He arrived at Barrow in October and went out on loan to Stalybridge Celtic in late November.

He impressed in his brief spell at Bower Fold, but it was cut short by a knee ligament injury picked up in training that required surgery and ended his season before he had a chance to feature for the Bluebirds.

Cockerline is contracted at Holker Street for next season and is expected to return to the fold when pre-season starts in early July.

But Cox sees the Cheshire youngster enjoying game-time elsewhere before he has the opportunity for first-team action with Barrow.

“There are things materialising,” said Cox. “Dan Cockerline, depending on how he reacts in pre-season, what we will try to do with him is to try to get him out on loan.

“He has been out for almost a whole season, and it is very important that we get him some games very early on in the season, and get him some experience. I don't want him to drop down below Conference North, and I still have really high expectations for Dan.

“There are quite a number of clubs interested, as you can imagine with the way Dan adapted to Conference North last year – he started off on fire. People are aware of Dan and the plan is for us to get him out as soon as we can, get him a good month or two of competitive football. Being out of the game for so long at a relatively young age, he needs that. It will be a positive.”

Hartlepool's bid to prise Cox away from Holker Street fell by the wayside and the club have appointed former Middlesbrough defender Craig Harrison as their new boss.

Bluebirds chairman Paul Casson did give Pools permission to speak to Cox, while also stating his desire for him to stay at Holker Street.

Cox has two years left to run on his contract at Barrow, and the hefty compensation package the North Easterners would have had to pay out proved a major stumbling block.