The last time I wrote my fan’s view column we were riding high at the top of the table following our fourth win out of four away at Newport.

One of the keys to our early success was the fact that we were able to name pretty much the same starting eleven, with a core to the side that had quality.

At the time it was said that we would need luck to keep the side injury and suspension free due to the small nature of the squad.

Sadly this luck has evaded us as in recent weeks we have seen the loss of Paul McCallum, Connor Essam and most importantly Dean Cox to medium and long term injuries.

This has put the squad under immense strain, as evidenced by the fact we could only name five substitutes for the game against Hartlepool, four of whom who are yet to start a first team game.

The lack of cover is disappointing considering the time that these players have been unavailable for. Ian Hendon has said he is planning to bring a couple of players in but even then I don’t feel that will be enough.

The target for this season has always been promotion and we simply can’t get by with a squad size as small as it is throughout the season if we are to achieve our aims.

I don’t feel we need reinforcements in every position within the squad. I feel the goalkeeping and central midfield positions are strong as they are.

However we could certainly do with cover in defence with Essam, who was impressing alongside Mathieu Baudry, out injured and Alan Dunne out of form.

We have only kept one clean sheet since the end of August which highlights this problem. We are having to come from behind all too often and there is an over reliance on the form of Jay Simpson to get our goals.

John Marquis was brought in on loan from Millwall but has yet to be played in his strongest position as an out-and-out striker and Ollie Palmer has not been as effective when he has started a game as he has been when he has come on as a substitute.

The Wycombe and Oxford home games spring to mind when he influenced the outcome of the game in the second half.

A lot has been said about Jobi McAnuff and why he has been frozen out of the squad. Whatever has gone before, I personally feel that it is important that we look to bring him back into the side.

The loss of Cox for the rest of the season is going to have a massive impact as his goals and assists have played a major part in why we are still up towards the higher end of the league table.

If we are looking to bring a loan replacement in then it is unlikely that they are going to be able to reach the standards that Cox has set this season.

Although he is a different style of winger, I feel the addition of McAnuff to the squad would have a much better effect on the team’s playing style.

He is a quality player, and although he failed to set the world alight last season, he did show glimpses of the player who was an ever-present in the Premier League three years ago.

Not much has been said by the club as to why he has not been part of the squad this year but I feel now would be as good a time as any to bury the hatchet and re-integrate him with the first team.

Things do need to change and they need to change quickly if we are to get back on track to achieve the goal of promotion this season.