St Albans City joint manager James Gray hopes to complete the signing of defender Omar Beckles this week as the club continue to freshen up the squad.

Beckles played in last week’s Herts Senior Cup win over Cheshunt whilst on trial with the Saints before returning to his club AFC Hornchurch to feature in a couple of games.

But Gray is confident Beckles will be the latest player to move to Clarence Park after a busy period of transfer activity.

Gray said: “I’m hoping to do a deal with him by the middle of this week. He’s keen to come. I think he’s been honest and true to his word to the manager of Hornchurch by saying he’ll play the next two games for them so hopefully I can get him in by Wednesday.”

Midfielder Charlie Gorman has been on loan at City from Welling United but has now signed permanently for the Saints.

The manager said: “He’s (Gorman) a player that I’ve liked and has come in done a good job. He’s a holding midfielder that gets stuck in and does the dirty work for us. He probably goes through games unseen but will give us a lot more options.”

He added: “We’re trying to build things here which is why we’re moving a few players on and trying to freshen it up.”

Dagenham & Redbridge striker Jon Nouble has joined on loan but two players have left the Conference South club, after defender Tom Ward and experienced midfielder Lee Clarke moved on as the Saints reshape their squad.

Gray said: “Wardy was struggling with travelling and I had a chat with Clarkey and he’s not been playing as much as he’d like. Travelling is also quite a distance for him and now his travel partner Wardy has gone so maybe it’s just time for a new change.

“He might need a new zest of life to get him up to speed but I’m sure there are going to be clubs interested in taking him. He’s well proven at this level and definitely the level below so I wish him all the best and I’m thankful to both of them for what they have done for us already this season.

“But we have to move on and the games come thick and fast and we need to try to establish ourselves at this level. It’s not easy but we’re not going to run before we can walk.”

St Albans suffered their fourth league defeat in five matches on Saturday after losing 3-2 at home to Whitehawk.

The Saints boss believes their opponents are the benchmark and hopes his team can learn from them over the course of the season.

Gray said: “What we need to do is try to get a bit closer to them and try to emulate them by the end of the season. Can we move the ball as well as they did? It’s not going to be easy and we know it’s going to be tough this season but we didn’t get battered. We got shown up by two or three bits of quality by them and a bit of sloppiness by us.

“We’re working on it each week and we’re going to try to get better defensively and now we need to work on keeping the ball better.”

Striker Geoff Mitchell netted his first goal for the Saints, following his move to the club a couple of months ago, and Gray feels like he has enough options in attack alongside John Frendo.

The co-manager said: “We’re looking to try to get a partner for John [from within the squad] but Geoff can also play that lone role as well so we’ve still got options to change it round. Jon (Nouble) came on second half. He’s a young lad that’s a little bit raw but hopefully we can get the best out of him over the next few weeks.”

The Saints have slipped down to 14th in the table and face a tough challenge this weekend at second-placed Basingstoke Town.

Reflecting on their recent defeats, Gray said: “It’s tough to take and we’re on a difficult run at the moment but it’s not going to get any easier.

“We know that but when it’s hard we need to work harder.”

There is a St Albans City team and supporters’ coach going to Basingstoke Town for the game this Saturday.

The coach will depart at 11am from the Clarence Park entrance to the ground. Since the coach has a limited number of seats available, it is recommended to book early. To reserve £10 seats, call Ian Rogers on 07714 145862.