BRADFORD (Park Avenue) manager Mark Bower has admitted that his side’s desperate quest for new players is being hampered by their dire position.

Avenue are rock-bottom of the Vanarama National League North, 13 points off safety, and it will be a tough task trying to close that gap when they visit play-off chasing Altrincham tomorrow.

They have played well over the last few weeks, with Bower suggesting that a lack of cutting edge is all that stands between them and some positive results, like in last Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Brackley Town.

But with potential loan recruits only looking at the table and not Avenue’s performances as a whole, they are understandably unsure about making the move to Horsfall.

Bower said: “We’re only playing once a week now at this time of year, so we have time to get people in.

“But it’s been frustrating because of the attitude people have. People look at our results and the table and think we’re not a great proposition.

“It’s difficult to get right because we need to bring people in that will improve us, while also working in tight financial constraints.”

One loan player who has just departed Bradford is Isaac Marriott. The young midfielder had played over 20 games for them this season, but a change in circumstances at parent club Huddersfield Town has seen him return there.

Bower explained: “Isaac put in some good performances and he showed potential for the future.

“But he’s going to be out of contract at Huddersfield and they’re keen to get him back there to see if he catches the eye of their new manager (Danny Cowley).

“We thank him for all his efforts at Avenue.”

The squad will have to do it without him at Altrincham this weekend, a team that Bower has admired from afar over the last few years.

He said: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Altrincham. They’ve done well over the last two years, because they bounced straight back from relegation three years ago and kept up that momentum to finish in the play-offs last season.

“They’re a different proposition at home to how they are away (Bradford beat them 2-0 at Horsfall last month), so it will be very tough for us.

“We just need to take the positives that we’ve been showing in games going forwards.”

Bower should have a similar squad available to him tomorrow as he did against Brackley.

Addressing that game, he said: “I’m starting to sound like a broken record, because again we’re competing with the big teams but just falling short where it counts (up front).”

That could soon change, with Bower saying: “We’re working constantly (on new signings). But it’s easy to just bring in players and we’ve done an awful lot of that in the last year.

“It needs to be the right people coming in. It’s difficult but we’ll keep going on that front.”