WORCESTER City boss John Barton has targeted three new players to help his side mount a Dr Martens League Premier Division title challenge next season.

He is chasing a full-back, a midfielder and a striker and hopes to land all three during the summer.

Barton declined to name any of the players, although a strong candidate is Burton Albion full-back Allan Davies, who spent three months on loan at St George's Lane earlier this season.

Speaking to shareholders at the club's annual meeting yesterday, Barton said: "We have earmarked three players that hopefully we can bring to the club, that would have an impact.

"We are still to bring that to fruition but I hope we will. They will improve the team and the dressing room.

"We have come up on the rails in the last third of the season thanks to our 11-match unbeaten run, but the cracks have not been papered over. We haven't really mounted a challenge.

"This season has been the first phase of our recovery situation, and it was a tough situation. We have to take that on now."

Barton believes a lack of goals has been the main handicap to his side's hopes of title glory this season. "We are fourth in the table and have scored 46 goals. Everyone else in the higher echelons has scored around 60.

"Mark Owen has done well for us but what we need is a second striker who can get you more than 10 goals to go with it."

Derek Jones has become the latest addition to City's board of directors. Mr Jones, who owns a nursing home in the city and has been involved with the club's vice-presidents for several years, was elected after shareholders voted to increase the number of directors from 10 to 12.

Fellow directors Laurie Brown, Brian Lancaster, Tony Partridge and Paul Curtis were re-elected, while David Boddy was elected after being co-opted last year.

The last two financial years were reviewed at the meeting. City lost £68,631 last season and £48,538 the year before, bringing their total accumulated debt to £574,811.

City take on Newport County in the Dr Martens Cup semi-final tomorrow night, having suffered their third successive defeat against Welling on Saturday.