ERNIE Howe has been given the green light by Basingstoke Town's board of directors to sign two loan players and revitalise his squad as the demands of the Nationwide South season begin to take their toll.

Howe's young side - put together on a shoestring budget - have surpassed all expectations with their achievement in staying in the Conference feeder league's top three after 22 games.

But two successive weeks of Saturday and Monday matches, plus the onset of winter and heavy pitches, have started to bite hard.

The threadbare nature of the Camrose ranks also means that Howe is unable to rest players, some of whom are carrying injuries.

In a bid to prevent long-term damage, and hopefully maintain the club's position among the division's high-flyers, the Town manager is being financially backed by his board to bring in a loan duo.

The board want to try and do everything possible, within budget, to help Howe secure the play-off spot he believes is within Town's grasp if they add the right quality to the squad.

Howe said: "We are at the crossroads of our season. Do we want to push on, or turn aside? I am sure everyone will give the same answer.

"We want to be up there and in the play-offs, but after games like Monday's at Thurrock, I can see there is a danger of us slipping away.

"They are the sort of games that show we don't have the squad to cope with physical teams, injuries and the volume of matches.

"I made my thoughts known and I've been given permission by the board to take two players on loan. That is very positive.

"Given what we've achieved so far - and all the lads deserve praise for doing it - it's only right we are looking to push on, but players coming in have to be better than what we have.

"We can't really get those who need time to adjust to this level of football if we want to achieve our goals."

Howe said he has seen worrying signs in recent matches - against Havant, Hornchurch and Thurrock - that need to be addressed.

He explained: "The same pattern is developing. In the last two away games, we've scored early but haven't been able to defend a lead.

"The players haven't been able to compete physically and the referee hasn't protected us.

"Our problems are physical. We are building a reputation as a side who play football, but cannot compete against stronger opposition, who are quite happy to kick us about if that's a way of getting a result.

"It's what people are saying and we need to stop it.

"The way to do it is to bring in some new players. I just hope we can find the right ones as we've been frustrated so far when we've tried."

Howe was all set to bring in a midfielder and defender, who could play centrally if needed, last Friday before the clash with Hornchurch.

But the 51-year-old boss was again left frustrated when there were snags and the deals fell through.

Five targets have now slipped away in as many weeks, and it means Howe has to go "back to the drawing board".

He said: "There are a lot of players out there but to get them costs money we don't have. That's still what it's all about and we have to be realistic.

"We aren't in the position to pay out a lot of money. I just hope we can get the players to help us out over the Christmas period, which is always a difficult one.

"If we can, it will mean we can give players like Jason Bristow and Sergio Torres the rest they need to get over knocks.

"They aren't the only ones. Of our 22 games, most of the team have played 19 of them and it's tough.

"We've been getting away with it, but the signs are there that it's starting to catch up with us."

The strain is certainly being felt in Town's defence. This was dealt a further blow when Scott Smith limped off on Monday night at Thurrock, while central partner Bristow's commitment to the Blues' cause has finally caught up with him.

The influential 24-year-old has played the last two matches with leg and ankle injuries, and was again in the wars at Ship Lane in the 3-1 loss, hobbling through 90 minutes.

It means Town will be without their first choice pairing for tomorrow's trip to Newport County.

Howe said: "Our resources are stretched to the limit. It makes it more frustrating that I haven't been able to bring someone in so far after investing so much effort trying to do so."