TROWBRIDGE footballer Chris Stokes could be closing in on a return to league football.

The 23-year-old left-back, who has been at Conference Premier Forest Green Rovers since November 2010, has spent this week on trial at League One Coventry City and was due to feature in his second game for the Sky Blues’ U21 side last night.

Stokes, who started his career as a trainee at Bolton Wanderers and also had a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra, has already trained with Yeovil Town this year and is reportedly also attracting admiring glances from League Two outfits Newport County and Stevenage.

Dave Hockaday, who signed Stokes for Forest Green and began working as a development coach at Coventry earlier this month, says that the England C-capped defender has impressed during his short time with the Sky Blues.

“Chris did everything he could do (against Crewe),” Hockaday told the Coventry Telegraph.

“He wasn’t beaten one v one, he got forward and got balls in the box and it didn’t really push him, which is credit to the team and Chris that he wasn’t really extended.

“He’s done everything he can in training and in the small-sided games, and everything he was asked against Crewe.”

“Forest Green don’t want to stand in his way and have allowed him to train with us.”

Forest Green also allowed former Trowbridge Town and Trowbridge Wanderers man Stokes to remain with Coventry despite captain Marcus Kelly, who has been playing at left-back for the Conference side, suffering a knee injury last weekend.