Brentford striker Nicky Forster is set to delay an operation to ensure it is all hands on deck as the Bees bid to stop their league season from imploding.

The 37-year-old played through the pain barrier as boss Andy Scott’s men slumped to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat at table topping Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.

Charlie MacDonald has been ruled out for upto three weeks with ankle ligament damage, Toumani Diagouraga has flu, while Robbie Simpson has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury he suffered against Sheffield Wednesday.

All three are likely to miss Saturday’s visit of Charlton Athletic as the Bees bid to halt a run of four matches without a win in League One - that sees them bottom of the table.

And boss Scott, who also has David Hunt (ankle) on the sidelines, admits it may be a case of dipping into the transfer market to plug the gaps that are already growing in his squad.

“We’re always looking, but nobody wants to let their good players go and it is very difficult to get the right ones in,” he said on Tuesday night.

“We need to get the right ones to make sure we are more productive.

“Between us as a club and the scouting network we’ve watched something like 12 games over the weekend.

“I was at a game last night and Bully at one on Monday afternoon, so we’re putting in the miles but if the players aren’t there, they are not there.

“We’ve tried to be prudent with the players we’ve brought in and we’re not going to make a snap decision.”