He admits his squad is “down to the bare bones” but Braintree Town manager Alan Devonshire says he is unlikely to supplement his resources with any fresh additions.

The injury concerns that plagued the Iron throughout a tough autumn have resurfaced as their players battle to get them past the 50-point target that they feel will guarantee their position in the Vanarama Conference Premier for another season.

A tough run on the road against sides fighting for promotion and another against another top-six side on their return home on Tuesday have left Braintree on a four-game losing run that they will be hoping to end when they host Gateshead tomorrow (kick-off 3pm).

They have been unfortunate not to have got more from all those testing outings, but the run of games has left Devonshire’s squad options looking slim.

Jordan Cox, Ryan Peters, Bernard Mensah and James Mulley have been carrying knocks and Matt Paine and Chez Isaac have both served suspensions in the past two games, while Charlie Strutton and Dan Walker are still away from the club on loan.

However, Isaac and Mensah are expected to return for Gateshead’s visit and Devonshire feels he has enough to not go looking for extra depth at the moment.

He said: “It’s just a point with money at the moment.

“We have Chez and Bernard coming back so it’s no good just getting someone else in.

“If I get a boy in from a pro club then they’ll want him to play and where’s he going to fit into my team when I’ve got Chez and Bernard back?

“We have Saturday now and then a week before the next game after that.

“I’ll look at it after Saturday and decide from there.

“I’ve got a week to decide on anything.”

Cox and Mulley are likely to be out for another two to three weeks while Peters will have his fitness tested before Saturday’s game after struggling through 72 minutes of the 1-0 defeat by Macclesfield with an ongoing back problem on Tuesday.