Major shake-up on the cards

4:28pm Wednesday 24th October 2007

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Only one week and one game into the job and new Halesowen Town boss Morell Maison has already seen enough to announce he's planning a major shake-up of his inherited squad.

Maison took control of his first game on Saturday and he and football consultant, Ron Atkinson, witnessed the Yeltz get dumped out of the FA Trophy 2-0 at home to a "bigger, fitter and more experienced" Brackley Town outfit.

�I don�t think anyone�s kidding themselves here that if we are to have any chance of putting a promotion push together this season we are going to have to bring in six or seven new faces."

Morell Maison

The new man saw enough in that 90 minutes and Tuesday night's training session to realise if he is to get Halesowen in the promotion race, up to seven new additions will be needed.

Maison said: "Saturday was very disappointting and Brackley were just bigger, stronger and fitter than us.

"I don't think anyone's kidding themselves here that if we are to have any chance of putting a promotion push together this season we are going to have to bring in six or seven new faces.

"The balance of the squad is not right and there's not a sufficient amount of experience here and that is one thing I will be addressing.

"I don't have anytime to be messing around because this needs doing now and I've already identified a number of targets.

"The players here know what the situation is and what my aim is so it's now up to them to fight for that shirt or else they will find themselves watching from the bench or the stand."

Having already brought in player coach Darren Caskey and right back Kevin Spencer from former club Kettering the manager has strengthened his squad even further by moving for Histon goalkeeper Mark Osborn.

The 25-year-old shot stopper has been snapped up on a three- month loan deal and he s a person Maison knows well from his Kettering days.

Maison added: "I know Mark very well because he played for me for nearly two years at Kettering.

"He's got plenty of experience and was on the bench for Wycombe when they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup a few years back plus he's still only young."

The manager also hopes to have at least one other new face in for Saturday's league clash with bottom of the table Cheshunt at the Grove (3pm kick off) after revealing bids for two unnamed strikers with Conference experience were on the table.

Influential skipper Nick Amos is also set for a return to action on Saturday after the boss rested him in a bid to get last season's player of the year 100 per cent fit.