STANLEY assistant Jimmy Bell spelled out what his side need to stop the rot.
The Reds have lost seven of their last nine games and are worryingly looking over their shoulders as they slip nearer the drop zone.
"We could do with a centre forward to put away the chances we create - an out and out striker," he said.
"And we need a big dominant centre half. Every team in the league has one and we need a leader to rally the troops and give us that experience."
He admits, though, that both could be out of the Reds’ reach and that it may be the players currently at the club who have the job of turning their fortunes around.
"We have one or two irons in the fire for a centre half but it is hard to attract them at the moment be it for our form or whatever although we are trying our best," he said.
"And we do have the belief that the likes of Shaun Whalley, Paul Mullin and Ian Craney can score the amount of goals to get us out of the position we are in.
"But it is a sticky situation and we need four or five more wins out of our remaining games.
"We do believe we have got enough to get us out of this but talk is cheap and we have got to respond and start winning games."
The backline has been a problem for the Reds in recent seasons with them having one of the worst records for conceding goals in their last campaign. They have the worst again this season with 60 goals going in - an average of almost two a game.
"It is not good enough and, although we are creating chances, what is really cursing us is the goals against," continued Bell.
"But what we have to do is keep believing we have enough at the other end."
Last season, the Reds ranked among the top hitmen in the league but this season, despite an abundance of strikers at the start of the season, Stanley have not been as free flowing.
They have 36 goals from eight players with only five currently in the Reds’ side. Roscoe Dsane has moved on while Leighton McGivern and Peter Cavanagh are out injured - Whalley, Craney, Mullin, Andy Procter and Aswad Thomas are on the goal charts.
But it wasn’t for the want of trying that the Reds didn’t break Brentford’s resistance on Saturday.
Whalley started up front and hit the woodwork for the second game running while Andy Todd was also denied his first Reds’ goal since his return to the club by the width of the bar.
Various blocks stopped Stanley scoring more than the one Craney goal while, at the other end, the three seemed simple for the Bees as defensive frailties were exposed again.
Brentford also hit the post but a throw in led to the opener from top scorer Glenn Poole, a corner led to the second from ex-Burnley defender Matt Heywood and a swift break prompted the third from ex-Hereford man Alan Connell.
"We seem to be having too many bad luck stories at the minute," bemoaned Bell. "You question yourselves whether you are doing the right things or not.
"The first half performance was as good as away performance as we had up until they scored their second on 45 minutes.
"But that seems to be the same story week in week out. We are playing well, missing chances and then falling for sucker punches at the other end.
"People are not doing their jobs and they have been told but that will remain in-house.
"They are told their jobs, cross the line then decide to do it their own way. It is totally out of mine and John’s hands.
"And until we can bring in better players, we will have to rally the ones that are here, and try and get the best out of them.
"We are not far away as can be seen from our performance against a team who have been in a rich vein of form. But we have got to take our chances and not fall for the sucker punch at the other end."
The Reds went to Brentford with their last away outing a rare win at Chester.
But Andy Scott has turned the Bees around and they have gone from close to the relegation zone and aiming towards the play-offs after a nine game unbeaten run.
Manager John Coleman didn’t make too many changes from the 3-0 loss to Lincoln putting Whalley up front, dropping Craney into midfield and giving Kenny Arthur his first start in goal since breaking his leg against Bradford in October.
And it promised to be a lively game from the off with Charlton loanee Aswad Thomas making a vital interception in the first minute to stop Nathan Elder running free while Jay Harris almost caught the home keeper stranded but couldn’t get his shot on target.
Then a Craney ball was chested down by Mullin for Todd and he clipped the ball goalwards- but it hit the corner of the post and the crossbar on 15 minutes.
It was then the woodwork which saved Stanley at the other end with Ryan Dickson’s free kick hitting the upright.
Whalley’s pace was a real problem for the Bees’ defence while Thomas came close with a header.
Then a throw in resulted in Brentford seizing the initiative on 33 minutes. It was a swift move with Connell finding Shakes, the winger racing down the right and playing in a perfect cross which top scorer Poole ran onto for his 11th goal of the season.
But to be fair to the Reds, their heads never dropped and within six minutes they were back in it.
Whalley got into a good position and outwitted the defence, playing in a dangerous ball which Craney tapped into the net from close range.
1-1 at half-time and the Reds would have been happy.
Instead a late Rob Milsom corner was headed on by Craig Stone at the near post and Heywood got ahead of Mullin and headed home.
"That killed us," admitted Bell.
"You go from from 1-1 and thinking the team talk is about what a good job we were doing containing a well-organised Brentford side to chins on the floor and asking who was marking who."
Whalley did have one chance before the whistle but, as he tried to get into a good position, keeper Ben Hamer smothered the effort.
The young frontman almost made amends just after the restart when Mullin flicked the ball on and he rifled in a shot which hit the outside of the post.
But then it was all over when Milsom split the defence with a through ball, Connell ran onto it and slotted it under Arthur’s body on 62 minutes.
Coleman tried to change it bringing on Mark King and David Mannix but the Bees largely stifled Stanley after the break.
There was still a couple of chances from Whalley while Craney had an effort blocked in the dying minutes but again it was again a case of missed chances, mistakes and no points.
"What a difference four or five weeks makes," added Bell. "Then Brentford were in our position and now we have swapped places.
"They believe they can make the play-offs and we are in their shoes.
"But this league is a much of a muchness and we know we can turn it around."
