Dave Jones assessment of the Deportivo pre-season friendly naturally factored in the last minute change up front after Jay Bothroyd was left out as a precaution due to a tight hamstring on Saturday. But despite the loss of the talismanic striker, Jones believes that Jay will be fit in time for the real challenge of the 2010/11 NPower Championship season on Sunday.

"It's always going to be difficult when you start chopping and changing," Dave said. "We had a problem before the game, losing Jay. Jay felt his hamstring while he was shooting and we just told him that it's not even worth him even trying it.

"We've got just over a week to try and get him ready, but it's a blow when you work all week looking to do something and then this happens. And once we've lost the big fella up front we have to look at different ways in which we can break teams down. But without that main target man we are going to struggle because Chops and Ross are of a similar ilk. It's difficult when you've got no height there as well.

"We started quite brightly and had a few opportunities, but it became more of a possession game and we probably gave it away a little too much in areas that we shouldn't have. I don't think either keeper had a shot to save to be fair.

"We've done a lot of running and chasing - we've talked about the goal that we conceded, with people coming out of shape when they don't need to come out of pockets. We've still got a lot to work with, we're looking fitter, but we still need players in. We know that. If you look at the bench we can change most of our defenders, but otherwise we're struggling and we're trying to do something about that."

The 'City manager also spoke of the new batch of players on trial, namely Finnish left back Toni Kallio, former Liverpool and Birmingham defender Gregory Vignal and American prospect Martin John. Both Kallio and Vignal made appearances for the Bluebirds against a strong Deportivo squad, though Dave concedes that and new faces joining on a permanent or loan move can only be done if the embargo is lifted.

"They've been in with us over the week and we've been running the rule over them," he said of the trialists. "We were due to bring them in, but at this moment unless the embargo is lifted we can't sign anybody. We're still looking though. There are one or two other things that we're looking at and things we're trying to do, but we've got to get the embargo lifted off us - and if it doesn't then we have to go with what we've got."

Whatever the situation, Dave has ensured us that with the majority of our talent retained the squad will be ready and not looking to any excuses in the league this year. It's an ongoing mentality that the coaching staff have continued to deliver to our players, while working all the while to identify and bring in new faces as allowed.

"We've got to be ready whatever happens," Dave said. "We can't hold up the start of the campaign and I know that behind the scenes they're working hard for it to happen, while I'm trying to get players in as well. But when you go down the loan system, which we have to do at the moment, other teams aren't going to let players out until they know what they are going to do. In some case we might have to wait until they've picked their twenty five, but there's no point in sulking about it, you've just got to get on with it.

"My players here now have the perfect opportunity to stake their claim - it's the best opportunity in the world because at the moment we're short on players and they're in the shirt all the time. So if they don't stake their claim now, when are they going to do it? And that's what I've said to them.

"We've got to dig deep and stick together. We've got fantastic support, and while I know that everyone is in a little bit of a lull, but you have the option to stay in it or come out fighting and scrapping. And I've never known any other way in my life. So that's what the players have got to do and that's what we'll all do."

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