Nightingale has been sold to Shaun Gale's team for an undisclosed fee six games from the end of a season in which he has struggled with injuries but has still managed eight goals and is joint leading scorer at Nyewood Lane.

Warner joins the Rocks on loan - whether his stay will be permanent remains to be seen.

Some fans have said it is a risky time to sell a striker with the club still needing wins to stay up, but others have said Nightingale is past his best.

The striker said he had been happy to stay at the Lane but understood the club needed to balance the books.

Rocks boss Michael Birmingham said the Hawks had been desperate to land Nightingale.

'It is the third time Havant have come in for the player and it was a offer we could not turn down, everyone at the club wishes Luke all the very best in the future,' he said.

'Joining us on loan till the end of the season is Phil Warner, a terrific player and one I have been after for months now. Phil can play anywhere in the back line and in midfield.'

Warner played in the FA Cup tie at Liverpool in January and has been a regular in the West Leigh Park side over the past couple of seasons.

Nightingale has joined Conference South play-off hopefuls Havant on a two-year deal.

The 27-year-old said: "It came as a bit of a shock when the club said they were selling me. My time at Bognor has been the best four years of my career and I didn't want to leave.

"I made it clear I wanted to stay and help them get out of trouble but it was out of my hands in the end. It is a shame but I can understand the club's reasons. They have got financial problems and as I would have been a free agent in the summer they felt they had to take the money on offer.

"I've got a lot of respect for everyone at Bognor and wish them all the best. I just hope they stay up and sort themselves out because it is a brilliant club."

Nightingale scored 71 goals in 153 games for Bognor after arriving in 2003.

Birmingham added: "Luke is a good friend and it was not nice telling him we were selling him but the money Havant were offering left us with no option really.

"The fact he wanted to stay until the end of the season shows how much he loved the club but he was out of contract in the summer so we had to make the decision."

Birmingham is hopeful of signing another striker before Monday's transfer deadline but revealed that former Pompey defender Joe Oaster is expected to stay at Nyewood Lane for the rest of the season.

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