RECRUITING defensive reinforcements and extra training means it will not be a blank weekend for Guiseley after all.

The Lions are without a game this weekend but joint-manager Marcus Bignot says his squad will still be in for training on Saturday ahead of their next Vanarama National League North game against Stockport County on February 9. This is one of five games during a busy February for the club.

He will also be looking to add to his injury-hit defensive ranks with new recruits.

Bignot says he wants competition for places at the back after losing Terry Kennedy, who left the club in October by mutual consent due to work and personal commitments. Thursday night's 11pm transfer deadline only prevents National League North clubs from signing Under-23s players from Premier League clubs, but Bignot says he may be looking at youngsters from Championship clubs downwards.

Bignot said: "Stockport will be a really good game for us to come into. We have needed this break. It will give us time to put work into the boys and an opportunity for is to get in some new recruits.

"Money is tight and we have to work within our budget. We have to be really cute in the market. We are definitely looking.

"We need to work hard. We will be looking at the Championship teams' Under-23s down."

Guiseley are 17th in the table, four points above the bottom three, on 30 points after a remarkable 5-4 loss to Boston United at Nethermoor on Saturday.

Despite the defeat, the Lions' strikers were in fine form as Rowan Liburd fired a hat-trick, with Kayode Odejayi scoring his side's other goal.

Bignot spoke of his disappointment of being on the losing end of last weekend's nine-goal thriller against the Pilgrims, which was their ninth defeat of the season.

He added: "It would have been a great game if it was 5-4 to us.

"We can still take a lot of positives out of the game, but to be on the end of that scoreline is really disappointing. The chances of scoring four goals at home and not winning are pretty low. I can't remember being involved in a 5-4 match as either a player or manager before.

"If you look at it, our front two are in a rich vein of form. But it is at the other end where we have difficulties. We have not kept enough clean sheets and not scored enough goals.

"The guys need a bit of competition for places. We have lost members of our back four, which has really caught up with us."