Matt Taylor: Bristol Rovers boss 'frustrated' by lack of signings this month

Matt Taylor has seen Bristol Rovers win only three times in the league since he took over on 1 December

Bristol Rovers are "playing catch up" in the January transfer window says manager Matt Taylor, with the club yet to bring in any players this month.

Rovers fell to their fourth consecutive defeat on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss at home to Exeter.

Taylor, who was appointed on 1 December, said the lack of new players brought in was "frustrating".

"The day we walked in the building we identified what we want position-wise," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We're playing a little bit of catch up. There's nothing in place to search and put those names on the table so we're being reactive in this market, which then means it probably takes more time than what you want, and unfortunately time allows other clubs to be involved.

"That's ultimately why we haven't brought a player in this window, but we're really trying as hard as we can."

'Weight round our ankles'

Taylor was expecting a new deal for forward Chris Martin - with his current contract expiring this week - to have been completed last week, but it has yet to happen.

Martin, who missed the game with Exeter because of a virus, has scored 10 goals since arriving in September.

"As far as I was aware it was agreed and ready to be signed going into the weekend," said Taylor. "There's going to be some questions there as to why it hasn't been done but I think it will be.

"We need some help with this group, we need some help in terms of the bodies.

"I'd like to do more, I think that's a fair assessment. I don't think any Bristol Rovers fan would deny that there's certain positions on the pitch which we want to improve but we can't.

"We've got to stick together and stand up and be counted. We're on a bit of a poor run. We've been in every single game but we've also been out of every single game at the start and having to play catch up."

Rovers are 13th in League One, 15 points adrift of the top six, and have won three of their nine league games since Taylor took over.

Taylor believes his "thin" squad is impacting on performances, with Connor Taylor and Josh Grant both going off with injuries during the loss to Exeter, although he hopes Martin, George Friend and James Wilson will be available for Saturday's home game against Oxford United.

"We're playing with weight round our ankles and our shoulders and you can see that - uncharacteristic errors, players who are capable of doing more, just the feel of the little run that we're on at the moment and the pressure at home of having to chase a game," he added.

"They're the players we've got and they are weak at the moment, physically more than anything else."