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Martin Ling

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Ling targets loan signings

Cambridge United manager Martin Ling has revealed he intends to bolster his squad with at least two loan signings after a sixth straight defeat at the weekend.

The U's find themselves worryingly close to the relegation zone after a 1-0 reverse at Crawley Town and Ling feels his side is in need of a goalkeeper and a striker.

First choice 'keeper Danny Potter is on the treatment table for the next two months with a shoulder injury, while striker Lee Phillips is yet to open his account for Cambridge.

On the absence of Potter, Ling told Cambridge News: "It's disappointing because Danny is a big miss for us and he'll be out for six to eight weeks.

"Young Laurie came in and did a fine job, but I've got to find another keeper to come in because you can't just have one keeper for the rest of the season.

Cambridge are in dire need of an in-form striker and Ling has hinted that he'll be looking to draft in a another striker with Phillips struggling for form.

He added: "When you're not scoring goals, the front area is where you're going to look at.

"With no disrespect to Lee (Phillips), he hasn't got a goal for us this season and confidence in that area isn't that high because we're not banging the goals in. So it may be an area we've got to look at changing things."

And with his side hovering dangerously close to dreaded drop zone, Ling is keen for his players to break the losing cycle.

He said: "If you look at the number of chances created and who was the better team, you'd say it was us.

"Winning becomes a habit, but so does losing and it's a habit we've got to break quickly.

"It's hard. They're fed up of hearing they played well and I'm fed up of saying it, because it's about winning games and we aren't doing that at the moment.

"The word relegation shouldn't be mentioned, but if we don't start pulling our finger out quickly we're going to be dragged down there before we know it."