Lowestoft Town joint boss Micky Chapman admits the club are looking to re-enter the transfer market after Jack Defty was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Defty has been advised by specialists to sit out the campaign's remainder after suffering a broken leg towards the end of last season. The signing of Jake Reed has gone some way to filling the void left by the former King's Lynn man's absence but with Bradley Woods-Garness still sidelined by a knee injury the Blues boss is eager to bolster his forward options.

'It's a big blow for Jack – we had thought he would be back before Christmas but the most important think is he comes back right.

'We need to come up with a solution – we know that. I'm sure there will be one or two new additions over the coming weeks and we are working hard on that.

'We've got a very strong squad ability-wise but we are short on numbers.'

Lowestoft entertain Margate in the Ryman Premier League Division this afternoon (kick-off 3pm) and hope to welcome back Dan Gleeson, who missed last weekend's win over Lewes due to illness.

Manny Osei got his first goal for the Blues at The Dripping Pan since his move from Metropolitan Police and Chapman believes there is even more to come from the forward.

'When you move to a new club you want to get off the mark as quickly as possible and he scored a fantastic goal,' said Chapman. 'We feel he can play that role (behind the striker) and he has settled in really well. He needs to get to know his team-mates and sometimes that can take a bit of time but the early signs are very good. He is a really strong boy and he is going to score goals.'

Chapman also hailed the impact made by Rossi Jarvis since he joined the club last month. The former Norwich City youngster has already become a mainstay at the heart of the Blues midfield according to Chapman.

'Rossi has been superb both on and off the field,' he said. 'I don't like singling out individuals but he has been first class for us since he joined.'

Lowestoft will be expected to collect all three points this afternoon but it is in this type of scenario that the Trawlerboys are often at their weakest.

'It's something that we're working on,' he said. 'The players, management, everyone has got to look at themselves.

'We need to get consistency which is the most difficult thing to do in football. We know we've got the quality in our dressing room but it's about putting it in week after week.

'Even a drop off of 10 per cent can make a massive difference. We need to make sure we approach each game exactly the same.'