Rich Hughes and his recruitment team added Matt Macey, Myles Peart-Harris, Callum Lang, Tom McIntyre and Owen Moxon to their ranks.
In addition, Josh Martin signed a deal until the end of the season, following the expiry of his short-term contract.
Here, in his own words, sporting director Hughes explains why the Blues signed the six during a pivotal window for their promotion hopes...
1. Callum Lang
Rich Hughes said: ‘Callum has had a lot of success at this level and also played at the level above (Championship). 'He gives us energy, passion and enthusiasm. The really nice thing about Cal is he’s a killer in front of goal and has shown that already with his two goals, which have been completely different. ‘He loves scoring goals, loves running, loves working really hard and long may that continue. We were at Wigan together, I dealt with a couple of his early loans, and he's a very bubbly character who will fit in with the good group we’ve got. ‘Cal had a little spell out of the Wigan team while everything was getting resolved at their end, but otherwise has played regularly this season and captained the side. We have brought in someone with that skill, that leadership and also a lot of ability.' Photo: Jason Brown
2. Myles Peart-Harris
Rich Hughes said: ‘Forest Green had a very disappointing season last year, but he was a shining light. To come away with double figures - in terms of goals and assists - in a team which comprehensively finished bottom of the table is quite an achievement. ‘What we saw in Myles last year was some of the qualities we felt would really add to us, in terms of pace, power, directness and speed. ‘They scored 31 goals last season and he was responsible for a third of them in a very poor team. In his three games with us so far, he has already shown some flexibility and the skill to impact games. ‘Myles played as a nine, a 10 and a six at Forest Green, which is a credit to his athletic ability, skill and footballing IQ. Clearly he can pick up a few positions and, even for us, we have seen him operate in a couple of different roles already.' Photo: Jason Brown
3. Myles Peart-Harris - Continued...
Rich Hughes (continued): 'John (Mousinho) will be able to articulate this much better than I can, but with the players we have, remove Colby and Kusini and they all have the flexibility to play various situations in various formations. ‘Myles is a confident individual who wants to become a regular Premier League player. In January, he also had the opportunities to potentially play in the Championship at the bottom end. ‘However, he felt it would be really important for himself, as an attacking player, to come into a group and be a leading light, hopefully achieving success as opposed to fighting relegation somewhere else.’ Photo: Jason Brown
4. Tom Mclntyre
Rich Hughes said: ‘Tom gives us natural balance in terms of being a natural left-footer. I think he complements the group. ‘We had Regan’s injury, but all season we have aimed to operate with four centre-backs. He has given us strength in depth and options to manipulate through the back four and back three, while also changing some of the build patterns from the back. ‘With the four centre-backs we have, we’ve now got the tools to deal with lots of different types of attacks. On Saturday, Tom showed a lot of his skills defensively, but also how comfortable he is on the ball. ‘Then, after the red card, Sean Raggett came on and showed everyone what a good defender he is, which shows the depth of the group. ‘Tom’s a natural leader, has captained the side and played in the Championship. He’s probably been a little out with Reading this season, although there’s a lot going on behind the scenes at that club.’ Photo: Jason Brown