YATE TOWN are closing in on a new striker.

Assistant manager Michael Meaker has confirmed a seven-day approach has been made to another club for their target, but he is unlikely to be signed in time for the trip to Merthyr Town on Saturday.

Yate have been looking for a replacement for top scorer Tom Knighton since he left to join Chippenham Town last month and their lack of a goal threat was evident in the 1-1 draw against Bishop’s Cleeve in Southern League Division One South and West last Saturday, where they conceded a late equaliser.

Meaker said: “We are still looking and we’re close to signing a striker. “We’ve got some cracking players already in the squad so we’ve got to bring in the right person.

“We were very unlucky against Bishop’s Cleeve. We were 1-0 up until stoppage time but it should have been seven or eight – we didn’t take our chances.

“We just need a bit of luck. We’re performing well but we’ve got to push on.”

Danny Wring was a surprise omission from Yate’s starting lineup against fellow strugglers Cleeve and Meaker revealed that boss Rob Cousins could start tinkering with the team more in a bid to start picking up some points and move away from the bottom of the table.

Yate have often raised their game against the top sides, as they showed during their run to the first round of the FA Cup and their win over Hungerford last month, and they will now face two top six teams in four days, with the visit to Merthyr followed by a home clash against Cirencester Town on Tuesday (7.45pm). “We should be up for every game,” Meaker said. “We’ve had a chat with the players and we’re going to change things around by playing certain players in certain games to get the points we need. “Against the top teams we perform but against lower league sides we don’t perform how we should.

“If we get four or five wins on the bounce we’ll be at the other end of the table so we’re not panicking.

“If we finish in the top half it will be one of Yate’s best seasons for years.”

Yate will welcome back captain Edd Vahid for the game at Merthyr after being sidelined in recent weeks with a groin strain and Meaker (calf) is confident he will recover in time to play, although striker Mitchell Page will miss both games through suspension.