IT’S Sod’s Law isn’t it. All’s going well and the squad’s looking strong and competitive (if a touch low on numbers) then just when transfers are off limits for a month or so . . . Bam!

They dropped like flies after defeat at Huddersfield, with Michael Duff suspended, Danny Ings injured, Dean Marney missing and Ross Wallace still a long-term casualty.

That meant Sean Dyche shuffling his pack to fill the void left by top scorer Ings for the visit of Watford, and naming a young, and in some cases inexperienced, bench.

I suppose they have to learn some time, but this was a case of needs must and highlights a problem when we have even just two or three players missing. We just don’t have the strength in depth and that is something that MUST be addressed in January.

Hopefully it will be easier to attract players from rival clubs when there are fees involved. And if there are any designs on the being in the promotion shake-up, I hope the board really look to back the manager when the transfer window re-opens.

There are a lot of games to go before then, and hopefully we will start to get players back quickly. Fingers crossed Ings has been able to shake his ankle injury off in time for tomorrow’s home game with Barnsley, who have former Claret’s midfielder Micky Mellon in caretaker charge.

Scott Arfield did a job on Tuesday playing off Sam Vokes, and we created enough half chances to be able to nick the game. But Arfield is not a long-term solution.

We have missed Marney’s midfield drive too. We looked slow and sluggish against Watford. One positive was the performance of Ben Mee.

The defence as a whole have been unsung heroes this season. With the strikeforce doing so well it has perhaps been easy to overlook them but they are totting up the clean sheets.

Mee, especially, put himself about against the Hornets. He was everywhere, and it was good to see him in the lounge afterwards collecting a deserved man of the match prize. Let’s hope the emphasis is back on the attack tomorrow though.