CHIPPENHAM Town manager Mike Cook has said he is after a striker on loan as he aims to help the Bluebirds end their struggling run in front of goal.

Chippenham failed to score for the fourth time in the club’s last eight games on Saturday as Braintree struck midway through the second half to escape with a 1-0 victory from the pair’s National League South encounter.

Aside from a three-goal spurt against St Albans City last month, the Bluebirds haven’t scored more than one goal since a 6-1 hammering of Slough Town on January 8.

Cook is desperate to see his team finish in the top 10, but in order to do so he believes a fresh body must be brought in to add to the club’s 45 league goals scored so far.

He said: “We’re left with trying to get another loan in. At the moment, we’ve nearly exhausted all the south-west clubs, so we’re going up to the midlands and beyond.

“I’ve spoken to West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday this week, I spoke to Darren Moore on Tuesday morning, so it’s hopeful that we might get somebody in that he’s potentially going to be releasing.

“But all these things are not done in a day. They normally take a week or two, and we need a goalscorer now.”

Another obvious example of Town’s struggles in front of goal came against a resurgent Braintree last weekend.

Despite creating 18 opportunities to score, Chippenham could not take any and were left frustrated as the club’s winless run moved into a fourth game.

But ultimately, it was a mistake at the back that cost the Bluebirds the chance to take at least a point back to the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium.

Cook said: “We played really well, we had lots of possession, we were good to watch. We were a bit pretty at times, but we had no real killer instinct in front of goal.

“We created a few chances – 18 all told – and they only had two in the second half.

“One was a deflected shot that hit the bar, and the other was the goal where Harrison Minturn just stayed in because he didn’t hear the shout.

“I disagree with our back line taking on themselves to play that high line. They did it 30 seconds before where they tried to catch them offside, and it didn’t work.

“We haven’t done that all season, so it’s a genuine mistake which has cost us in the end.”