Gosport Borough facing race against time to make new signings ahead of Southern League visit from Dorchester

Gale is aiming to bring in a couple of new faces for Saturday’s home Southern League Premier South fixture against Dorchester Town.

He knows the pressure is building after three successive away league defeats - and five losses in the last six league fixtures home and away.

In addition, Boro have crashed out of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy in recent weeks to lower tier clubs.

Pompey loanee midfielder Harry Jewitt-White, who has not featured since early September, could be available for the Dorchester fixture.

He has not played a competitive game for Boro for weeks due to a combination of a three-game ban for a red card at Winchester City, a Welsh youth international call-up, and a groin injury.

But another midfielder, Andreas Robinson, is definitely out due to ankle ligament damage following a ‘nasty’ tackle in last Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Hanwell.

Top scorer Dan Wooden also came off in the second half of that defeat with a groin injury.

Centre half Matt Briggs remains sidelined with a knee injury, but ‘is hopefully not too far away.’

Gale had initially been eager to sign some experienced players, but now realises he might have to sign younger ones instead.

‘We need some bodies in the building,’ he remarked. ‘But it’s not as easy as that. We’re only 12 games into the season, there’s millions of points to play for, managers don’t want to let players go at this stage.

‘I’ve spoken to loads of clubs - Football League clubs, National League clubs, National League South clubs, agents.

‘It might have to be we bring in young kids, that might have to be the way.’

Gale handed a debut to 18-year-old Southampton Academy striker Tommy Higgs as a second half sub at Hanwell.

‘I’m not going to panic,’ Gale insisted. ‘It’s important we bring in the right players.

‘I know we’ve lost the last three away but those games would have been tough for any team in this league.

‘Hanwell are flying, Hayes & Yeading were beaten in the (play-off) final last season and Met Police were up there last season as well.

‘Anyone who’s watched those games would know we should have won two of those three games - we didn’t play very well at Hanwell. And before that we absolutely battered Truro who are top of the table, only to lose to a soft penalty.

‘We need to stand up and be counted and we need to stop giving soft goals away. If we can do that, we will win football matches.’

Dorchester started the season by winning three of their opening four league matches. But they have only won one of their last eight, and have lost seven of their last eight fixtures in all competitions.

‘It’s a tough game, they’re all tough in this league,’ Gale stated. ‘But we’re at home and our home form has been good.’