BILLY Clarke hopes to silence the "bellowing" while City maintain their pursuit of an extra forward.

Mansfield's Matt Green is understood to be one that the club are currently closely monitoring.

The 29-year-old netted 16 times for the League Two side last term and is a former Conference leading scorer.

The powerful six-footer, who scored his second goal of the new season on Tuesday, is seen in the James Hanson mould.

But as the chase for one more striker goes on, Clarke insists the present group are making their point in City's strong start.

The Irishman scored a spectacular opener in the latest win at MK Dons and said: "People bellow on (about a new striker) as if he's going to pop up and score 20 goals a season and be better than what we are.

"That's not always the case. Teams can splash out £25million on strikers at the top level – look at (Christian) Benteke – thinking they are going to be the best but it hasn't panned out.

"There are no guarantees. But obviously the more of us chipping in the better and the more good players we have the better because everyone knows our squad is quite small.

"We still have four or five coming back and when we've got everyone fit again, we'll have a very good squad. But the more bodies to compete and improve all our standards the better."

Clarke came back in for the injured Hanson at Stadium MK as Stuart McCall reshuffled his formation on the way to a second successive away win.

"It's obviously nice to score – but I've played three out the four games," said Clarke.

"I felt there was always going to be a rotation. There will be times when you play well and then don't play and others when you feel you could have done better and play. It's all part of the squad that we have.

"Hans wasn't in the last time there and we won that too. You've got to make do. You've got to mix your game around and we're all capable of doing that.

"We knew we were good enough coming into the game and we were out the blocks really quickly.

"I felt we could have been three or four up at half-time. I think we got exactly what we deserved and 2-1 makes it sound tighter than it was."

Clarke's goal was very similar to his strike when City won on their last league visit to MK Dons two years ago. He revealed that he had watched the first one again before the game.

The Bantams striker said: "I saw it on my phone on Twitter that morning. It's funny how it panned out again. I hit it really well into the corner just like last time. It was déjà vu.

"We're all pleased with how we've started and it gives us confidence that we can play really well – you could be looking at us as winning four on the bounce.

"It gives us a base for this weekend but Coventry are another good team and the manager's got them playing well. We have to start the way we did on Tuesday."

Green missed 18 months with damaged cruciate ligaments at Birmingham before returning to Mansfield last year.

Stags boss Adam Murray is adamant he will be going nowhere.

Murray said: "He has got two years left on his contract and we don’t need to sell our best players. I know the chairman won’t want to sell the best players.

"So unless any club is going to come up with about £5 million, we want Matt Green here and Matt Green will be staying here.

"It’s going to take a hell of a shift in price tags to prise any of our players away."