IN the Cheshire Football League, player availability is a constant problem for most teams.

Unfortunately, it is no different for Knutsford FC.

Manager Jordan Gunter says he has to make "four, five or six" changes to his side for most games due to either injury or unavailability.

It is a problem that has hamstrung their campaign.

"It’s not really gone as planned so far," Gunter said.

"We’ve had to chop and change the squad a little bit since the start of the season and that’s not helped us with being set and ready.

"Player availability and getting lads to commit is a problem not just for us but for every team in the league.

"At times, we’ve had a lot of quality there but we’ve not managed to get any form of consistency in personnel.

"We’ve found ourselves making four, five and six changes to the team every week. We’re trying to get a team gelled together but when there’s that kind of issue, it’s not going to work."

He gave an example in the shape of the recent Cheshire FA Amateur Cup trip to Upton AA – a game they lost 4-2 to exit the competition.

"For the Cheshire Cup game at Upton, we had three players drop out on the morning of the game," he said.

"We took the 11 that started and a 16-year-old that we weren’t really looking at using until next season.

"For the majority of the games, we’ve allowed teams to take the points. A lot of that comes down to being more of a team.

"It’s been a tough one. We’ve spoken to the lads about it and they know.

"They realise what is needed is more commitment to training and games. We’ve had to have a look at ourselves and we’re hoping it turns around."

Their next game sees them travel to Warrington to take on Daten on November 30.

After months of chopping and changing, Gunter now feels he has the right squad in place to take his side forward for the remainder of the season.

"In terms of personnel now, we have a very strong side on paper. It’s just getting it out in performances but it will come.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that we will turn the corner. It’s a matter of when.

"You look in the losses column of the table and we’ve had too many already.

"It needs to happen now. The lads understand totally and they’re all onto it."