STEVE Coppell spoke openly of the need to bolster a depleted squad after witnessing his team's latest futile attempt to compete with lower-league opposition.

If nothing else, City's abject surrender at the Recreation Ground – their second defeat to League Two opposition in three days – confirmed the pressing requirement for new recruits and served to bring the manager's dealings in the transfer market into sharp focus.

Already deprived of several players through injury, Coppell's options are about to be further reduced by the defection of midfielder Paul Hartley and right-back Bradley Orr, both of whom are expected to follow already-departed centre-back Jamie McCombe out of Ashton Gate in the next few days.

Given that the situation seems likely to become worse before it gets better, Coppell's quest to sign Championship-standard replacements has assumed a palpable urgency and he is working assiduously behind the scenes to bring in a striker and a right-back by the end of this week.

In no mood to excuse his team's third defeat in five pre-season outings, the manager said: "I have to supplement the squad, for sure. But It has been very hard to get in replacements, certainly like for like, in the time-span available.

"I was intent on giving everyone who was here an opportunity when I came in, but I'm getting to that stage now where I have to do something just to make us more competitive.

"Last season's main strike-force is on the treatment table and, given the games we have played so far, it is evident that we are not very prolific.

"I need to get players in who know what they are doing and we need bolstering. We are certainly very close to bringing in one player and possibly two.

"We have been busy trying to get people in from day one, but the market has been slow and we have consistently found that players are either out of our price bracket or demanding unrealistic money. I know everyone thinks the chairman's pocket is a bottomless pit and he's just going to throw money at it, but that is not going to happen and we have to be frugal and make sure we are doing the right thing for the club in the long term."

Even the manager's plan to court former City youth player Liam Rosenior as a potential replacement for Orr backfired when the 24-year-old reneged on his promise to play at Aldershot on the eve of the game.

Coppell said: "Liam rang me the night before the game. We had half planned for him to come in, but I was very much aware that, in the back of his mind, he wants to be available just in case he gets what he would consider a better offer. He has been a Premiership player in the past and he still feels he is capable of playing in the Premiership, so I cannot go against his thought process. I just have to accept it.

"I would hope that, in the near future, people will want to play for this club."

Just as they were at Torquay United three days earlier, City were second-best against League Two opponents who demonstrated greater cohesion and unity of purpose.

Goalkeeper Dean Gerken twice rescued the visitors when making fine saves to deny first Anthony Straker and then Luke Guttridge, and it came as little surprise when Marvin Morgan opened the scoring with a crisp shot five minutes before half-time.

Deployed at centre-half for the second time in a week, Skuse then made matters worse by bringing down Morgan, who regained his feet to send Gerken the wrong way from the penalty spot 17 minutes into the second half.

On-trial forward Wade Small added to City's embarrassment, curling a deflected shot beyond Gerken and into the far corner seven minutes from time, and the Championship side knew they were well beaten when substitute David Clarkson wasted their best goal-scoring opportunity, shooting wide of the target after being put clean through.

Coppell refused to blame injuries and his subsequent lack of options for a performance City captain Cole Skuse described as "shocking," Uncoordinated and without purpose in possession and ill-disciplined when forced to defend, the depleted Robins were equally bereft of a cutting edge on the few occasions they mounted any kind of threat to the Aldershot goal.

"Our squad may be sparse, but we should still be better than that," said Coppell, who took personal responsibility while offering a brutally honest assessment. "Whatever combination of players we select, we should at least be competitive. I feel sorry for the supporters who travelled to see us, because they want to see a spark from us and some sign of what might be in the season ahead. Instead, we were poor all round.

"If the players do not understand what I want them to do, then it's my fault and I am going to have to work hard to put things right."

That process starts when City take on League One Exeter at St James' Park tonight and will continue at Yeovil Town on Wednesday and at home to Blackpool in Saturday's final dress rehearsal. Injuries and defections have created a situation where Coppell must be careful to avoid over-loading his best players and, in hindsight, three games in six days is too many.

The manager said: "I'm responsible for the pre-season planning, and we did not expect to be in this position with this number of games and players. Things have gone awry, and I have to take that on the chin."

Aldershot (4-4-2): Young; Herd, Jones (Saville 72), Charles, Vincent (Hylton 63); Little (Brown 63), Harding, Guttridge (Small 75), Panther (Fortune 82); Morgan (Hyde 72), Straker (Connelly 85).

City (4-3-3): Gerken; Edwards, Skuse, Nyatanga, T Williams; Elliott, Cisse, Campbell-Ryce (Clarkson 65); Sproule, Jackson, Adomah.

Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Attendance: 1,048