Aberdeen Women manager Clint Lancaster insists he is working hard to bring in new recruits ahead of the registration deadline.
The Dons have until September 14 to register new signings – and the Reds boss says he “ideally” would like to have two players in each position when the window shuts.
But Lancaster concedes that might not be possible as there is still plenty of work to be done if he is to bring new faces through the door and improve the depth of his team.
The SWPL’s loan window – which runs until mid-October – might also be an option for Aberdeen.
The Dons currently have 18 players signed up to their SWPL squad, including Darcie Miller and Emma Lawson, who have moved up from Aberdeen FC Ladies U18s for this season.
Lancaster has added three new recruits since his appointment, with Laura Holden and Hannah Insch signing on while goalkeeper Faye Kirby joined on loan from Liverpool.
He said: “We’re lighter than I would like to be. I’m looking at a variety of different places at the moment to strengthen.
“Some of the players have played in and are still playing in Scotland, and some are currently playing in England. It’s a real mix, but the players I’m speaking to are of good quality.
“If we were to bring anybody in then they would add value to the squad and bring some experience. We will have to see what we can do.
“I’d ideally like to have two in every position, but I’m not sure I’m going to get that at the moment.
“We’ll see what we can do, but we can top up the squad with some of the really talented players that we’ve got coming through the academy at the minute.
“It’s been the number one priority since I came in, but it’s not easy. There are many factors which can make it challenging.”
Dons aiming to get back to winning ways against Spartans
Insch, who moved back to the north-east from Australia to sign for the club, is yet to make her competitive debut for Aberdeen and has been playing with the U18s.
Lancaster believes the 18-year-old forward will benefit from minutes at that level, as he said: “Hannah has moved over from Australia and is still young, so just needs to be playing.
“We could have put her out on loan, but I want to keep her with us and by getting some minutes with the under-18s on a Saturday will be beneficial to her.
“She can still be involved with us on a Sunday, but what she needs just now is that game time and experience.”
The Dons return to SWPL action on Sunday against Spartans at Ainslie Park where they will be aiming to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts.
Against Spartans – who are in search of their first league win of the season – Lancaster wants to see more attacking prowess from his side, having rued a lack of opportunities against the Jambos.
He said: “We need to be more clinical and need to be that bit more creative when we are in the final third.
“Hopefully by doing that we’ll get more chances at goal. I thought we defended well on Sunday, like I think we have done throughout the whole season.
“This is a very young squad, potentially the youngest in the league, but in each game they are growing in maturity and experience, and doing themselves proud.
“They need to continue doing what they are doing because if we do that then I’m confident we can go down there and get a result.”
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