Colchester United boss Joe Dunne would love to bolster his squad with a new striker, but he needs a “crock of gold” to find the right one.

The Dubliner will continue his search for an experienced front-man, in the wake of Jabo Ibehre’s continued absence through injury, as he builds up to this weekend’s trip to Crawley.

However, it is more likely that the U’s manager will have to stick with the same squad, due to limited funds.

“We will still have a look at bringing in a new player. We’ll have a go again,” insisted Dunne.

“But unless you’ve got a crock of gold somewhere, that you can let me have, then it’s going to be difficult!

“I don’t know how close Jabo (Ibehre) is, to being fit.

“I’m trying to get an experienced striker in, instead, but I just don’t have any money to do it.

“I’m not going to be able to get a striker that everybody will recognise.

“You have your list and you start working your way through it, and you end up with an 18-year-old.

“But then I’ve got Macauley Bonne, and he was great when he came on again (against Bradford).

“I’d rather play my young academy players, like Macauley, than get in that situation (of recruiting an inexperienced striker).

“If I bring in a striker, I think he has got to be an experienced player, and that’s going to be difficult.”

Dunne would love to juggle with his squad, following Tuesday night’s disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Bradford City.

Several of his players looked very leggy in that game, following a heavy schedule of fixtures.

But the likelihood is that he can only tweak his starting line-up, for the trip to Sussex.

He continued: “I’m always looking for new players, but for the rest of this season we are probably going to have to go with what we have got.

“That’s where we are, and that’s the reality of it.

“I might have to freshen things up a little on Saturday, but there’s not a great deal I can do.

“We have to learn from this defeat (to Bradford), because we have two games coming up, against Crawley and Shrewsbury, where we need to pick up points.

“This group of players has shown they can bounce back, and respond, and they will again.”