Kilwinning Rangers manager Chris Strain hopes to bring in at least two new faces this week to bolster a wafer-thin squad rocked by injury and suspension.
Forward Ben Lewis hobbled off with knee ligament damage in Friday's 2-0 defeat against Hurlford United while fellow frontman Calvin Kemp and defender Tony Coutts saw red at the end of each half.
That means they'll join long-term crocks Chris McGowan, Ross Smith and Keiran Wood on the sidelines for Saturday's visit of Benburb with talisman Carlo Monti also a doubt after sustaining an arm injury.
And with other aces playing through niggling knocks, Strain insists reinforcements are a must – with the focus on a badly-depleted defence.
But he admits that will be easier said than done in the current climate.
"We are actively looking for bodies but it's proving to be a tough ask for us at the minute," said Strain.
"We have budget constraints to consider but also, teams don't want to give up the type of players we'd be looking to bring in at this time of the season.
"The bottom line for us though is that the players need help. The last month or so has been very difficult for them.
"The longer this drags on it can be hard to keep enthusiasm levels up and we don't want that to happen.
"Ideally we'll have a couple of faces in for the Benburb game. The defence is a priority at the moment.
"We have three of the back four we started the season with out injured.
"Ross Smith and Keiran Wood have both suffered setbacks in the last week which is disappointing.
"Ross hasn't come through his treatment very well so we'll need to look at that and Keiran tried to come back to training but had a wee reaction in his knee.
"We've been derailed at this point in time but if it carries on like this things could be come very difficult for us."
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