Macc manager Gary Simpson isn’t losing faith in his players, despite a three-match losing streak.

Thanks in no small part to injuries restricting his back line, Macc shipped four goals in the first half of Saturday’s Gillingham loss.

And, ahead of Saturday’s visit to bottom side Hereford United, Nat Brown is fighting to recover from an infected leg wound and Aristote Nsiala is in need of recuperation, the boss is down to the bare bones in his defensive ranks.

But Simpson insists that they do have the ability in the squad to break their bad spell.

"Every club has a bad spell in every season," he said. "Look at Chelsea, a squad full of world-class multi-millionaire players and they’re struggling at the minute.

"We’ve actually been playing pretty well in games, there aren’t that many games this season where we’ve created nothing. Looking at Saturday, we had two very good penalty shouts turned down and Emile Sinclair had three good chances. He could have come off with a hat-trick.

"We’ve just got to make sure that our bad spell ends very soon, we don’t want it to run into six, seven or eight games that will undo the good work we’ve put in this season."

Macc remained in a highly respectable 10th spot in League Two and in touching distance of the play-offs, despite the Gills loss. And Simmo is hopeful that Brown and Lewis Chalmers – who limped out of Saturday’s game in the first half – will be available to face a Bulls team searching for their first home win of the league campaign.

"Chalms hasn’t trained this week but he should be fit," he continued. "He’s had a decent run in the team so maybe it wouldn’t do him any harm to have a rest. He has played full-back before, so it would be good to have him back.

"Browny couldn’t get his shoe on last week and he hasn’t trained either but his leg has settled down and, providing he has no reaction, he should be OK.

"Toto [Nsiala] is struggling with a slight groin problem, and to be fair, he’s probably played more games in his time here than he has done at any time in his career.

"He needs a rest but I haven’t got anyone else available."

Simpson revealed that he is closing in on bringing in a new face to boost his defensive ranks but only once the transfer window opens on January 1.

"I’ve spoken to another Football League club about a lad I’ve had my eye on.

"I think he’s a decent defender, he’s got a bit of experience and I’d like to get him training with us and signed up first thing on New Year’s Day and hopefully get him available for the game at Bury."