YATE TOWN are looking for ‘old heads’ to help their young squad at the Jelf Stadium this season.

But far from wanting the experience of players, particularly strikers, to enhance their current campaign, manager Paul Britton and director of football Nigel Hawkins are looking to target the 2017/18 season for their squad to come to fruition.

Britton said: “When we started this season, we had a completely new squad from the previous season. I have always said that this is not a squad for now, it is one for the future and that is what we have to look at.”

However, with major games coming up in the next few weeks against tough North Leigh on Saturday, league leaders Hereford at home on Saturday week, where Yate are expecting a crowd of around a thousand, and Salisbury to follow those two, it is asking a lot for the current young squad to end a barren run of eight matches in which they have lost six and drawn the other two.

Hawkins said: “We know where we are as a side and we need to accept the challenge. We have set ourselves a target of being difficult to beat.”

One of Yate’s highlights this season was the unexpected but superb victory over Salisbury at the Jelf Stadium back in September, and Hawkins thinks the club can draw on experiences like that day to help them now.

The director of football added: “It’s about consistency and performing week in and week out and it’s hard to do that when you are a youngster.

“So we are looking to get some old heads to calm things down. We are looking for a little bit of experience at the moment.”

And the search for experience has already led to a number of phone calls. “We are looking now and conversations are going on,” added Hawkins.

“There is no point leaving it until March because it will be too late if you are struggling. It’s possible that we could be announcing something in the next week or two.”

Yate bounced back from a 1-1 Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South and West draw at home to strugglers Wantage Town with a much better display against Tiverton Town.

But the big one is when Hereford come to Yate Town on Saturday week, with Hawkins saying: “It’s 11 versus 11 and, if you work hard, things can happen. Just look at the FA Cup. You never know.”