King's Lynn manager Adam Lakeland urges players to roll up their sleeves and be prepared for 'a bit of a scrap' in National League North

Manager Adam Lakeland will demand that his King's Lynn Town players 'run themselves into the ground' to lift themselves out of the National League North relegation zone.

Four successive defeats have left Lynn low on confidence and languishing towards the bottom end of the table heading into tomorrow's home game against Warrington at The Walks.

Speaking after the 2-1 defeat to Banbury on Tuesday night, Lakeland said: "We're 20 odd games into the season and we're still in the bottom four and whilst we have got better, I believe, since I came to the club we are still in the bottom four.

"Going through the motions isn't going to get us out of that situation, we need people who are going to roll their sleeves up, battle graft, compete and, and be up for a bit of a scrap.

"If we don't start doing that then the scrap will only get tougher and collectively, we've got a lot of reflecting and thinking to do in the next 24 and 48 hours."

Even with a number of injured players returning, Lakeland admits his squad is in desperate need of reinforcements and he is working around-the-clock to bring them in.

"I was at a game last night, two games last week and two games the week before," he said.

"They'll be no manager in the country watching more games than me, both live and on Wyscout but that doesn't man you are going to get players dropped off at your front door.

"It's tough and I've said this before it isn't through a lack of trying, we'll just keep on working hard. We do need to bring bodies in and I'll be speaking with the chairman because we do need to strengthen, there's no doubt that.

"Obviously we've got lads who have been out injured. They've come back and I felt that would make us stronger. In the second half we were better but in the first half we were miles off it and we need to understand why."

In the space of eight months, Lynn have slipped from a side on the cusp of the National League to one in a relegation dogfight.

But Lakeland knows that just one win could put his side on an upward trajectory heading into a crucial festive period.

"We said before the game, we had a terrible week where we lost at Stourbridge, Scarborough and Tamworth but one good week and the picture changes," he said.

"We hoped that this would be the start of a good week for us and obviously it's not panned out that way. Saturday is going to be a tough game.

"Warrington are a good side, with a good manager and are very well organised. They've got goals in them but we need to respond. and we have to start the game on Saturday as we ended it against Banbury.

"If we do that we'll give ourselves a chance of winning a game of football. If we turn up and start the game like Tuesday, then we'll lose a game of football."

Lakeland is set to have George Morrison back at his disposal after the midfielder served a one-game suspension in midweek, but the news on fellow Fleetwood loanee Billy Jones isn't so good after the youngster tweaked his hamstring in training on Monday.

"He pulled his hamstring in training and he was going to play on Tuesday. He gives us a bit more pace and a bit of a threat in behind, because that's something that we're a little bit short of.

"He is going back to Fleetwood and we'll just have to see the severity of it. Hopefully it's not too bad but he is certainly out for the short term."

There will be a familiar face alongside Lakeland in the dugout with former director of football Robbie Back helping in the absence of his assistant Sam Walker.

Lakeland said: "Sam's got a family wedding that I've known about since pre-season and he's not going to be with us.

"Robbie has been our loans manager since I came in and he's been incredibly supportive and helpful for us in terms of trying to get some of the younger players out on loan.

"With him obviously caring so much about the club and having been here in the past I just asked him if he'd come and give us a lift on Saturday.

"He was around tonight just to kind of get a bit of a feel for things."