Brentford boss Andy Scott is hoping at least one new face can give his squad a lift as they look to find a consistent run of winning form.
The Griffin Park chief has confirmed he could bring one new player in on-loan before the weekend as he looks to cover the loss of injured goalkeeper Nikki Bull and defender Mark Phillips.
Both stars are on the long-term injured list with Bull having undergone surgery on his shoulder problem this week and Phillips facing what could be a six-week lay off with a knee problem.
And Scott, who saw his side escape the north east with a 2-2 FA Cup first round draw at Gateshead on Saturday, is hoping fresh blood can turnaround a run of just two wins in 14 games.
“We are going through a sticky patch. We need something to give us a lift,” he said.
“I’ve always said I believe in this squad – I still do – but we need something. Whether it is bringing someone straight in to the team or just someone to keep them on their toes, we need to freshen things up a bit.
“I’ve spoken to a one or two people over the last couple of weeks and we are getting somewhere with it.
“One manager has given us the green light, but it is a case of now persuading the player, who is playing at a higher level, and his agent that coming here is a good move.
“I’d like to think we’ll have at least one new face in by the weekend and could have another one next week, but you don’t know how fast these things happen.”
The Bees may well need to get some more bodies in to help cope with illness that has swept the camp over the last week.
Striker Steve Kabba, who had been expected to play in Gateshead, was struck down at the weekend and Scott fears that might be the tip of the iceberg at this time of year.
“Steve travelled, but had a bug and could not get out of bed on Saturday. There is a lot of it going round at the moment,” he added.
“It is nothing too serious but sniffles, coughs and colds affect different people in different ways. Footballers are a bit more susceptible to things because they can get run down the harder they train.
”It is nothing more than the usual November malaise. We’ll just have to deal with it.”
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