By signing Danny Gardner until the end of the season, Dario Gradi has thrown the gauntlet down to his strikers to prove that they are good enough to remain at the club next season. The Alex boss currently has six strikers, who could all play in his first X1 - but he has told crewealex.net that he is unlikely to go with such a large number next season.

New recruit Gardner and the rest of his strike force have the rest of the season to make an impact and convince the manager that they should be part of his long-term plans.

Dario told crewealex.net: "With Danny now signed until the end of the season, I have 6 strikers to choose from. That won't be the case next season, so it is up to them all to make an impact and prove that they should be a part of things here.

"The squad is thin at the moment and it will become thinner so it is up to the strikers to battle it out between themselves. I want them to show that they can make an impact between now and the end of the season and it will be an interesting challenge.

"Danny is in the mix and we will have to see where it can take him."