ROSS Speight has promised changes to Middlewich Town’s team to reduce a risk the Witches’ season will continue to unravel.

They have failed to win any of their past nine matches and a 6-1 thrashing at Pilkington last weekend in the Cheshire League’s Premier Division made up the co-manager’s mind.

“We’ve been loyal to people but that can’t last forever,” he told the Guardian.

“Those lads had a choice of rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in or choosing to sulk and point a finger of blame at others.

“Too many went for the second option.”

READ > What happened during last weekend's Cheshire League matches

Remarkably, given a poor run of results, Town remain fourth in the table.

After securing promotion from League One at the end of last season they made a promising start that included a double over champions Knutsford.

However a porous defence – they have conceded more goals than any rival outside of the bottom two – has left them vulnerable.

Speight said: “We’ve been making stupid mistakes because of poor concentration.

“The way we played at the beginning of the campaign papered over those cracks.

“We’re too easy to score against, perhaps because we’re too nice, and maybe we’ve been guilty of thinking we’re better than we actually are.

“What’s undeniable is we can’t carry on being the soft touch that we have been.”

A quarter-finals date with Over 3 Grange, from Winsford, in the Mid-Cheshire District FA Saturday Challenge Cup on Saturday would provide respite under normal circumstances.

However it is now a game Town dare not lose.

Their guests this weekend are struggling near the bottom of the Crewe and District League’s Premier Division but they know too that Middlewich are fragile.

READ > Every game in the district cup last eight this weekend

Speight said: “They’ll smell blood, and can you blame them? They’ll fancy turning us over.”

Along with co-managers John O’Sullivan and Michael Welch, he will look outside of Seddon Street for reinforcements.

That search has started and will continue in the summer.

In the meantime their target this term is to win a trophy – they are in the league’s President’s Cup too – and finish as high as possible in the table.

Speight added: “We’ll be casting the net wide.

“The players know the situation; none of them are safe and we expect to see a big improvement between now and the end of the season from those that are still here.”