BILLY Davies is poised to make his first signing after returning to Nottingham Forest, with the manager revealing he wants to bring in a striker on loan.
The Scotsman found himself with only two fit strikers as the Reds struggled to break down a resolute Ipswich side that almost managed to hold out for a point despite being reduced to nine men.
With Darius Henderson struggling with a knee injury, Billy Sharp ruled out with a chest infection and Marcus Tudgay only just returning to training following months on the sidelines with a broken collarbone, Davies finds himself short of attacking options.
And he admits he is looking at potential signings to give some support to Dexter Blackstock and Simon Cox, with new arrivals perhaps even possible before the weekend.
"We will look at getting a striker on loan," said Davies. "We have until later in the month and we will look at that option. We can see that some freshness would help the squad.
"I don't know if Billy will be back from his chest infection (to face Wolves on Saturday). But he and Henderson, who has a knee problem, are important players for us. Marcus Tudgay is miles away. He will start back with the squad next week, on the training ground.
"There are not too many midweek games left, but we are coming to the end of a hard season. These boys have done great to keep working. We will look at the loan market and see what is there. The chairman has said it is an option for us, if we want to use it."
Davies does not yet have a list of specific targets, as he had been content with the make-up of a squad that has done him proud since his return, collecting 13 points from a possible 15 and winning their last four fixtures.
The manager had pledged that every player would get the chance to prove themselves – and they have responded by producing their best run of form this season. And, if they beat struggling Wolves at the City Ground on Saturday, Forest could climb into the top six if Brighton slip up.
"We were trying to not go down the road of trying to fix something that was not broken. But if you look at the performance on Tuesday, Reidy looked dead, Lansbury looked a little bit leggy. You can go through the side and pinpoint things," he said.
"We will do what we can in the remaining games, we will do the best we can. It was a great three points, we are pleased to keep another clean sheet."
"You can see the turnaround, you have seen all the games.
"On Tuesday, it would have been nice to freshen up the front area, off the bench. We also ended up bringing on Sam Hutchinson, who has not kicked a ball in goodness knows how long."
