HEREFORD are due to dip into the loan market as they look to bolster their squad ahead of their first National League North fixture.

With striker Mike Symons out for 10 weeks with a fracture in his tibia, Keyon Reffell currently getting back to fitness and the exit of Jimmy Oates the club are looking for additional players.

Hereford manager Pete Beadle hopes to sign a centre-half on loan before Saturday’s game against Cardiff City and is also looking at other loan targets.

“Mike’s injury is a little bit more serious than we first thought and after x-ray he has got a very small fracture in his tibia so he is going to be 10 weeks minimum," said Beadle

“Six weeks possibly in a cast and four weeks rehabilitation.

“It has been our toughest pre-season so far with comings and going with losing our captain Jimmy (Oates) and Mike (Symons) with this injury.

“Losing Will (Puddy) a week before pre-season started it’s been a really tough pre-season for us so far.

“That can only bode well that we get all this bad news out the way before the season starts. Michael will work hard and if he can get back before those 10 weeks he will do but it’s a bit of a sucker punch for us.

“We have to be careful with Keyon (Reffell) as he broke a bone in his foot against Kettering last year and the injury is very close to that.

“It’s not in the same spot and is a totally different injury but again with Keyon he’s naturally fit but needs a bit of sharpness.

“If he’s available for August 4 that’s the most important thing for us as he is very key for us, they all are.

“One loan player was here tonight and hopefully he will be available for Saturday and now with Mike we may look to loan one or bring one in to replace Mike for the first eight to 10 weeks of the season.

“It’s happened so late in pre-season that we need to venture into that loan market to make sure we have the numbers and the bodies too.

“The boy that we have spoken to that is here tonight is a centre-half.

“We are staying in contact with lots of people about players including Cardiff City coming on Saturday, Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion so we are talking.

“We are just waiting for them to come back to us and let us know what might be available. We would like to have a real settled squad come the first game of the season but it’s not going to be.

“It’s almost going to be reminiscent of the first season a little bit with the disruption we’ve had through the summer.

“It’s very similar to that first season with the amount of players we had on trial and it took us three or four games to get a settled squad.

“But the ones we have got here are already settled and are more than capable of matching teams two leagues above themselves.”

Hereford currently have Connor Hudnott who is a former Chelsea and QPR Academy player on trial.

Beadle said the goalkeeper did 'exceptionally well' against Forest Green Rovers last night.