DAVE Reynolds could get an SOS – support our strikeforce – call from Worcester City but boss Ashley Vincent insisted it would be only be a short-term deal.

City fans were quick to react to Reynolds leaving Evesham United last week, calling for the 30-goal hero of 2017-18 to return.

READ MORE | Carl Abbott: Reynolds left Evesham to prevent "ugly" ending

But Vincent confirmed the signing of Sean Brain from Coleshill Town the week before Reynolds became available had placed City between a rock and a hard place.

READ MORE | Brain signs for City 

Brain has plundered four goals despite having played less than two halves of football and Vincent is content with his frontline after seeing the net bulge 11 times during three wins in a row.

READ MORE | Smith set for stint away from City, Osbourne leaves

The fly in the ointment arrived shortly after Brain’s fourth, though, with the hotshot the subject of a three-match ban for his straight red card four minutes after a wondergoal in Saturday’s 2-0 FA Vase win over Highgate United.

READ MORE | Brain - There was no rage in red card tackle 

“We are at our limit and working within the strict lines of the budget,” said Vincent.

“To bring in a forward of Dave’s calibre would mean moving out one of the current forwards and to be fair to them, that would be unjust because they are playing well.

“We have to work week by week right to the budget, at the moment there isn’t the room to bring in a Dave Reynolds who would naturally command decent pay.

“I would love to bring him in, he is a proven goalscorer at the level but I don’t think the budget allows it and I think it would do a disservice to the forwards I have.

“That’s nothing against Dave, I love him and tried to sign him in the summer. He would score goals in our team, definitely, but my forwards are doing that at the minute and we are winning.”

And Vincent acknowledged the timing of Brain’s arrival had played a part in cooling his interest in Reynolds, who had a run out for Worcester Raiders on Saturday.

READ MORE | Reynolds in Raiders cameo

“Absolutely, it made a difference,” he added.

“With Jak Jeys getting injured we needed a forward and Brainy was available at that time. We were right for him and he was right for us.

“Reyno’s situation came up a week too late in the sense of being able to fit him into the structure wage wise and having space in the squad to carry another forward.

“On our bench we tend to carry attacking players, we look as though we have enough defenders on the pitch to cope and we like to open things up to attacking changes.”

But with Brain forced to sit out league trips to Sporting Khalsa and Heather St John’s as well as a home clash with Long Eaton United, Vincent could seek temporary cover.

“It is something that becomes part of the discussion, yes,” he said.

Asked whether that could involve Reynolds, Vincent replied: “Yes, for sure.”

Meanwhile, Vincent had no qualms with the call to dismiss Brain and praised the performance of referee Aaron Atherton. 

“I didn’t have a problem with it at the time, although I didn’t think it was a malicious tackle," he added.

“He lost control of the ball and it was a lunge to get it back. He caught the lad halfway up his shin and if that tackle had been on one of our lads we would want a red card.

“Sean had no argument with it but said he had not meant to hurt their lad and it is always a shame when players have to come off injured.

“There are no problems with it at all and considering the type of game it was, I thought the referee dealt with it really well.

“He understood it would be a difficult game to manage after the red card. He knew it would put our backs to the wall but the boys showed character in the fairness to the referee he did too.

“He was strong and got 95 per cent of the big decisions right.”