Alan Dowson admits he would jump at the chance to sign former Fulham star Ian Pearce, but accepts any potential deal is a long way off.

Pearce made a surprise appearance for Kingstonian on Monday night, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 friendly win over an Anzac select side.

And Dowson revealed he will do all in his power to tempt the 35-year-old Pearce, who also turned out for Chelsea, Blackburn and West Ham to stay.

He said: “I would absolutely love to sign Ian but whether we will is another matter entirely.

“It would be fantastic for the club if we could get him on board, but at the moment we will just have to play it by ear.

“A lot of it is down to Martin Tyler - he got wind that Ian was doing some stuff down at Fulham so we gave him a ring and he agreed to come along.

“But there would have to be a lot of work done before we could come to any agreement.”

Pearce, who returned to his non-league roots with Oxted & District last season after being released by Southampton, made an immediate impact for Dowson’s men with a neat headed goal.

The burly defender can also operate as a striker, and ammassed over £4 million worth of transfer fees during his Premier League career.

And his overall performance in the clash with the Australia and New Zealand scratch side, along with former AFC Wimbledon midfielder Luke Pigden, drew praise from the boss.

Dowson added: “I thought Ian’s performance was excellent.

“He has a fantastic presence and players like him do not grow on trees.

“I really have my fingers crossed.

“We are also hoping to sort out something with Luke.

“He is here on trial at the moment and is a good lad.

“We are giving him a chance to impress, and hopefully it will come good.”