DORCHESTER Town manager Craig Laird feels he is “shopping in Aldi rather than Marks & Spencer’s” in his search to bring fresh striking talent to the Avenue Stadium.

Magpies’ boss Laird also called for the supporters to either “stick their hands in their pockets” or “give us a chance to develop the side” in the current season.

Laird’s comments were made in relation to the club’s playing budget, which he believes is “middle of the park” and reflects where the club is at present.

He said: “I need to speak to the chairman and the committee and ask for another £400, £500 to bring in two top notch strikers. I can only go with what I’ve got and that’s a bit frustrating for me.

“It’s easy for people standing up there and at the side, saying ‘get him in, get this in’ but we haven’t got the finances to do that so we have to get the ones we can in.

“If they (the supporters) want to get the finances in then they’ve either got to go back to the chairman or the supporters have got to stick their hands in their pockets – one or the other. Or they give us a chance to develop the side over the next year or so.

“That’s the thing, we’ve got to develop the side. We’ll get the nucleus and then we may have to make one or two changes as we go. If that’s what they want and that’s the budget we’ve got then we’ve got to take our time getting there.”

Laird also defended the club’s younger players, hinting that there was a lot of expectation on their shoulders.

He said: “Griggsy’s 18, Dom’s 18, Tom is 19. I don’t know what people expect from young boys but that’s what we can afford, that’s where we’re shopping.

“But, I think we’ve got a really good little squad and I think once we sort out the striker position we’ll be a force to be reckoned with, even on the budget we have.

“Like Chippenham, their budget’s £6,000, £7,000 and they’ve had that for two or three years. Poole, they were looking to get up and it took them two or three years and look at the budget they have.

“And then you’ve got to spend it properly and we’re cutting our cloth accordingly, getting in what we can afford. We’re shopping in Aldi rather than Marks & Spencer’s and then the next lot go to Harrods.”

But Laird was quick to clarify his views, expressing that the Magpies’ budget was not a “poor” one.

“I’m not saying it’s a poor budget, it’s an in the middle of the park budget and that’s where we probably are at the moment – in the middle of the park.

“We want to get better, we will get better and I think my record shows that I get value for players but we just need them (the fans) to be patient and realise that there’s a long-term plan for us to get there,” he added.