MANAGER Lou Macari believes any transfer activity at Town will have to wait until injuries clear up.

Chairman David Taylor has indicated Macari will have to "wheel and deal" on signings to augment the McAlpine squad.

Macari, however, says that might be easier said than done while so many players remain under treatment and two, Delroy Facey and Martin Smith, have been ruled out for the season.

Town are working hard to get injured players like John Thorrington, Dwayne Mattis and Chris Beech back , especially as Steve Jenkins and Kevin Gray are both suspended at Bristol City next Saturday.

"When your squad involves every fit person being up for selection, there's not a lot of wheeling and dealing that can be done," said Macari.

"Until the numbers increase and we get four or five back from injury to turn our squad into say a 22 from a 17, there isn't a lot of scope to sit down and work on shuffling things around.

"I've had to wheel and deal on lots of occasions in my career, but I think it's fair to say that things have been a bit more settled at those clubs than they have here over the past six to 12 months.

"Wheeling and dealing comes when you are in a position to do so, and until the injuries clear up it might be difficult for us to bring something about."

Town will be backed by around 1,000 fans when they travel to Bloomfield Road on Tuesday for the LDV Vans Trophy Northern final first leg against Blackpool (7.45).

Striker Brett Ormerod, so impressive when Blackpool won 4-2 in the Second Division at the McAlpine in September, has, of course, gone to Southampton and he's been replaced this week by Scott Taylor from Stockport.