Town boss looks to bolster defence (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Town boss looks to bolster defence

1:00pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in Football By John Boyman

BASINGSTOKE Town manager Jason Bristow is hoping to bolster his squad with the addition of another defender ahead of this weekend’s trip to Weston super Mare.

The Camrose club have kept just one clean sheet and conceded 20 goals in 14 games so far this season, making victories hard to come by.

Their cause has not been helped by the loss of key defender Ross Adams, who is currently on the sidelines with a knee injury. He is awaiting the results of a scan to determine the seriousness of the injury – but even if that comes back all clear, the centre-back looks set to miss at least two more games.

Chris Paterson has done a good job deputising but he is also a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Weston super Mare (kick-off 3pm) due to a dead leg. Stuart Lake, another player who might have been asked to fill in, remains on the sidelines with a broken toe, so Bristow is hoping to bring a defender in on a short-term loan deal.

“We are creating chances and scoring but we are not keeping clean sheets, so I’m looking to bring someone in,” he explained. “We keep blaming the forwards for not taking chances but when they do score it seems we need more than one.

“The goals we have been conceding have been avoidable. The thing that has let us down has been individual mistakes at vital times and we have got to cut that out.”

Bristow has already had a busy week regarding player movement. Left-back Toby Little has been allowed to join Southern Premier outfit Chesham United on duel registration, while young goalkeeper Zaki Osalah has been signed on non-contract terms as back-up for Ashley Bayes and Joe McDonnell.

The Town boss is also hoping to send Jide Ogunbote out on loan to get the midfielder some games as he attempts to return from a long injury lay-off.

Basingstoke travel to in-form Weston having won just one of their last six Blue Square Bet South outings, a run that has seen them fall to 15th in the table.

Bristow said: “We are so close to being a good side but we have not been making the right decisions at crucial times in crucial areas. We have got to manage games better and it’s frustrating at the moment but we believe that a good run is not far away.

“We are hoping to get back on track to build confidence for ourselves, the fans and everyone, so it is a game we are approaching knowing that it is important. We want to get three points on the board but it’s always tough going to Weston super Mare.”