Marshall to wield axe

Brett Marshall is warning of widespread changes to his Hucknall Town squad with the Yellows second from bottom in Evo-Stik NPL First Division South.

Hucknall's new boss has had seven games to assess his squad and with only a single league win and a draw to show so far, he now believes he has seen enough to wield the axe accordingly.

Marshall saw his side beat Newcastle Town 2-1 on Saturday in the FA Trophy's First Qualifying Round and he told the Hucknall Dispatch's website: "I was prepared to be loyal and give a lot of the players I brought from Retford the chance to learn the league and show me they’re good enough, but it’s become apparent that many members of this squad aren’t what we need.

"Quite simply, not enough players are putting a shift in and I’ll now be aiming to bring in those who will. Some aren’t fit enough or technically good enough and they’re not matching the efforts on the pitch that my assistant Graham Walker and I are putting in off it. That now has to change."

Marshall has already brought defender Lee McAnulty back to the club and has also confirmed that former Ossett Town midfielder Mick Jones will join up with the squad.

The manager is also aiming to tie up loan deals for other players and he said: "I need players in with experience at this level and who can lift us when we go a goal down or help keep things tight when we go in front.

"I’m talking to a striker from an Evo-Stik Premier Division team with a view to a loan deal and also some players from levels below who have been doing very well, including a goalscoring midfielder.

"The first thing I expect any side of mine to do is work hard and I will not accept it any other way. I want players whose shirts need a boil wash after the game whereas at the moment there are a few who could put them straight back on the hanger.

"I always believe we can beat anyone and I need those who play for me to be just as strong minded as I am. Loyalty has to go now. I said we’d assess things after half a dozen games or so and that’s what we’re doing. The findings are that changes need to be made.

"It’s been very difficult with the kind of budget I’ve got because we can’t get every attribute for the kind of expenses we have. But that can’t be used as an excuse. We’ve got to work within the constraints we have and I’m working very hard to do that."