GREG Clowes aims to sign a new striker this week after his shot-shy Alsager Town side surrendered their unbeaten run.

A 1-1 draw at St Helens Town last week and a 1-0 reverse at home to Colne have brought Alsager Town back to earth with a bump.

The previous six wins on the bounce are already a distant memory for Clowes, who admits he needs to bring in a forward with a ruthless streak if his team are ever to mount a serious assault on the Division One title.

He has given Congleton Town seven days notice of approach for 31-year-old Richard Mitchell.

Clowes said: 'Mitchell has scored goals wherever he goes. He is an 18-yard-box player and we need someone like him who will take a gamble and get a tap-in.

'We are so naive in front of goal. We have a 50-50 chance of getting him (Mitchell). If we had played with two clinical strikers all season, we would win this league. We have a good goalkeeper, a great defence, plenty of options in midfield but we are missing out on goals every game.'

Mitchell has played for Port Vale, Macclesfield, Northwich Victoria, Stafford Rangers, Nuneaton and Rocester in an expansive career. He has managed just three goals for 19th-placed Congleton this season after struggling with injury.

In fact, Alsager's score draw at second-placed St Helens was a decent result, marred only by the disappointment of conceding an equaliser 60 seconds after Wayne Brotherton had opened the scoring on 27 minutes.

But Town dominated the game with Colne at Fairview Avenue on Saturday, only to be hit with a sucker punch when Blackburn scored on 58 minutes.

Clowes said: 'They (Colne) had one shot and scored from it. They have done that to us twice this season but, fair enough, they came with a plan and it worked.

'But we had three one-on-ones with the keeper and Peter Heler missed two of those. He is trying ever so hard and did well to get his chances, but we must put those away.'

Town make the journey to Bacup Borough tonight (7.45).

Clowes added: 'We need to win because we had created a nice five-point cushion from the group of teams behind us.

'Now it is down to two and if we don't get three points, there could be teams going past us and we have to start again. We must avoid that.'