MARK Jermyn admitted he has big decisions to make about the make-up of the Dorchester Town squad next season over the next couple of weeks.

The Magpies suffered their sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions with a 1-0 loss against Biggleswade Town at the Avenue on Saturday.

That sequence of results has left Jermyn questioning the grit and determination of his group and he claimed “questions will be asked” if they do not secure a victory at bottom club Bideford today (3pm).

Speaking after the lacklustre loss to the Waders, manager Jermyn said: “In recent weeks we have definitely fallen out of sync.

“We haven’t got anywhere near where we were at the start of the season with work ethic and individual performances.

“As a collective group, I still feel that we have the makings of a good team really but, on past performances, they haven’t justified the reason why they are at Dorchester in my mind, and it hurts.

“In the next couple of weeks I have got to make decisions on who stays and who goes and, that’s the tricky thing, because you build up relationships with all of the players really.

“Unfortunately, when you get let down more often than not, there is only one direction you can go in.”

He added: “When you look at our last seven or eight results, that is not anywhere near good enough and I won’t have it next season.

“It’s almost like the work has been done in the front end of the season and now we are just allowing the season to roll out.

“I don’t think anyone goes out there and thinks ‘I’m not going to play very well today’. I don’t think that at all but the grit and determination is something that has been lacking in recent weeks.”

The Avenue boss is hoping to have midfielder Franklyn Clarke back from suspension and defender Gary Bowles is expected to return from illness this afternoon.

Jermyn will also assess his own health as he is still feeling slightly under the weather from the bug that recently spread through the camp.

Looking ahead to the battle with Bideford, who beat Dorchester 2-1 at the Avenue earlier this month, he added: “We will look to go there with a slightly stronger bench than we had on Saturday.

“We are going there looking to win and, if we don’t win, questions will be asked and I will make wholesale changes for the rest of the season because I’m not having it.”

Saturday’s loss to the Waders left the Magpies 13th in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division table, with 55 points coming from their 40 league games played so far.

Despite Ian Sampson’s early strike for Bideford on Saturday, the Robins fell to a 4-1 defeat at league leaders Redditch United.