ACCRINGTON STANLEY manager John Coleman has put a new defender on his Christmas wish-list.

And he has warned his current crop of stoppers they must improve or else find themselves out in the cold come January.

Coleman couldn't hide his frustration after Saturday's defeat to Shrewsbury at the Fraser Eagle Stadium - their seventh home league defeat of the season.

The Reds were ahead in the first half through a Paul Mullin header, but they surrendered their lead and the Shrews scored a winner in the space of 10 second-half minutes.

Coleman said: "In all the games we've lost this season, that's the best we've played and we can take some comfort from that.

"But that's happened five or six times and it keeps on happening. That tells you there's something fundamentally wrong.

"I've got my work cut out now trying to bring in some defenders who can defend a bit better than what we're doing at the moment."