WINCHESTER City have added another new name to their injuryhit squad to boost their Evo-Stik South West play-off chances.

Central midfielder Brad Gale, formerly on the books of Poole Town and Hamworthy United, stepped in at short notice to play at Bishop’s Cleeve on Tuesday.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the best of evenings to make his debut with City on the end of a painful 4-2 defeat.

But Gale, who has scored eight goals in 22 appearances for Sydenhams One outfit Verwood Town this season, comes with a useful pedigree.

Manager Craig Davis said: “Brad has had plenty of higher-level experience with Poole and will be of great assistance to us.

“We were grateful to him for stepping in at short notice on Tuesday. He got better as the game wore on.”

The same could be said of City’s performance in general, but the damage was done in a shoddy first-half against the division’s bottom club.

Although skipper Jamie Barron scored yet another penalty to snuff out Harlie Price’s secondminute strike for Cleeve, a calamitous Danny King own goal and a gift finish for Joe Bates from a dropped cross plunged them 3-1 into arrears.

City piled forward after the break, but did everything but score, and Bates struck again from the spot before Oli Bailey hit back late on.

“We’re playing with more and more injuries, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. It wasn’t the reason for the loss. Our first half performance was poor,” said Davis.

“Second half we had a right go, but we hit the bar, the post and had the ball hacked off the line.

It was one of those nights.”

Winchester face another basement side on Saturday when second-to-bottom Barnstaple Town visit the Simplyhealth City Ground (3pm).

Despite Tuesday’s loss and last Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Bristol Manor Farm, City are still well in contention in seventh but, with just 11 games to go, they can ill afford to let many more points slip away.

“We’ve got to stop frittering away opportunities,” said the boss.

“We’re still in there fighting and now’s the time to put a marker down. Tuesday was very disappointing, but we’re a young, developing team and a lot of our players are not even in their prime yet, so there’s a lot to feel optimistic about.

“We just need to get performance levels back. Barnstaple are fighting for their lives, the same as Bishops Cleeve, but we’ve been a fortress at home, so let’s hope we can do it again.”

Winger Rob Carr returns, but Adam Tomasso is an injury doubt and midfielder Andy Jenkinson will be kept away by work. Midfielder Liam Gilbert and defender Joe Cook are both sidelined with foot problems