Frustrated manager Gary Alexander admits Ashford United simply don't have enough players.

Alexander has only been able to fill the substitutes bench in one of Ashford's last five matches.

Things reached a head on Saturday when the Nuts & Bolts only had two outfield players on the bench for their home game against Horsham.

The visitors came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with Alexander unable to make the necessary defensive changes.

He said: "After we went 2-0 up, they changed things and that’s good management but I didn’t have the personnel to counter what they did.

"If I did, I could perhaps have caused them problems in terms of what they did but I had to stick with the shape I had.

"Losing Lea Dawson was a blow as well because we (only) had two attacking players on the bench.

"It became even more difficult and they were very good going forward."

Alexander has lodged seven-day approaches for players without success in recent weeks.

So does he have the financial backing required to get his transfer business done?

"They’re not coming at the moment so I’ll let you decide," he said.

"I’ve lost out on players to teams close to us where I don’t think Ashford should lose out.

"But we are and that’s something I have to deal with as a manager.

"I have to get the right personnel for the right price and if that price is too much, I can’t get them.

"Do you look closer to home? I have looked at players closer to home and they haven’t come to the club for whatever reason.

"It’s not an easy time but we’re working at it and hopefully one day we’ll have 16 players to choose from."

Ashford, 14th in Bostik South East, are away to East Grinstead on Saturday. Both teams have taken 11 points from 10 games with the Nuts & Bolts slightly ahead on goal-difference.

Alexander said: "We’ll keep working hard and plugging away.

"Performances haven’t been that bad and we were in a winning position on Saturday but we didn’t have the squad to see it through.

"At other times, you might be able to make changes which make difficult for the opposition and on Saturday it wasn’t.

"We were unable to make a change that could have affected what they were doing to us.

"It will be nice to have a full 16 when boys get back from injury but at the moment, we haven’t got a selection problem."

Ashford are away to Greenwich Borough on Tuesday.