AFC Wimbledon boss Terry Brown has admitted he is struggling to find the right formula at the back as the Blue Square South kick-off looms ever closer.

The Dons slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Salisbury at the weekend, their fourth loss in seven pre-season outings.

And Brown revealed the defensive showings were cause for concern.

He said: “The results have been disappointing and we have been letting in too many sloppy goals.

“We seem to have a problem defending set-pieces.

“I have been mixing them up at the back and not playing the strongest squad so I am hoping that will be something that sorts itself out.

“But we will be practicing set-pieces a lot this week in training.”

And it is not only the defence giving Brown headaches, as with strikers Chris Sullivan and Belal Aiteouakrim still on the sidelines, the Dons boss remains wary of his lack of attacking options.

Brown added: “We have a lack of firepower.

“Jon Main is on fire but I do not want to overwork him.

“We had a look at Jason Norville this weekend but he is not really match-fit and I will not be taking on anybody who is not fit and ready to go.”

AFC’s pre-season plans were thrown into chaos with the news that new signing Lewis Taylor’s ligament damage, suffered in a friendly with the Met Police, may be a season-ending injury.

And Brown admitted he was still shuffling his pack for an answer.

He revealed: “Lewis was going to be our powerhouse and it is a massive blow.

“He was my first signing of the summer and who I wanted to build around.

“Now it is a case of working the shape of the midfield out to get Elliott Godfrey and Tony Finn in the line-up.

“I know supporters want everything ready for the start of the season but we have a lot of players coming back and if we are set by the start of September I will be a happy man. ”