Andy Gurney seeking new faces as Weston-super-Mare hit downward spiral

ANDY Gurney, pictured, is hoping to strengthen his Weston-super-Mare squad in time for tomorrow's home game against Bishops Stortford.

A 4-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Worcester City on Monday sent Weston back into the bottom four and made the manager's search for reinforcements the more urgent.

"We did well to take a point at Maidenhead United on Saturday but we paid for our inability to defend set-pieces at Worcester," said assistant manager Chris Smith.

Adie Britton will challenge the Bath City players to "put themselves in the shop window" when they visit League Two strugglers Grimsby Town in the FA Cup next weekend. He believes the tie at Blundell Park is a chance for his team to show just how good they are.

"I believe we have got four or five players who could play at a better standard if they had full-time training," Britton said.

"This game is an opportunity for them to put themselves in the shop window. For one or two of them this is their last chance. When you are 26-years-old, you are at the stage where you can get picked up or never get back in the league again.

"If anyone from the squad was picked up by a league club, you would encourage them to go with your blessing. But they have got a bit to prove yet."

Before all that, Bath will be focussing on reeling off a third successive league win when they host Bromley tomorrow.

The Ravens have also won their last two games, having lost just three times all season, and are spearheaded by Warren McBean, who scored four goals in seven days at Twerton Park last season – two against City followed by a double against TeamBath.

But Britton is more concerned with his own players, specifically making sure they are fully focussed from the off following another slow start in the midweek win over Weymouth.

"We were just poor in the first half on Tuesday," the boss said.

"We got the ball down for the first five minutes and started to play it around a bit on what was an immaculate surface but then we never really got going.

"Sometimes it just seems to take a stern talk at half-time to get us going, to get us fired up."

Bath were boosted by the return of Stuart Douglas from neck surgery in the midweek win at Weymouth and fellow striker Kaid Mohamed could be back in contention tomorrow following a leg injury.