CHERRIES boss Kevin Bond wants his players to rediscover their killer instinct - and quickly.

Bond admits his strikers have been desperately short of ammunition as Cherries have mustered a paltry four league goals from seven games this season.

Defeat at Swindon saw Cherries slip into the League One drop zone, but with two home games on the horizon, Bond will be hoping for a marked improvement in front of goal.

He told the Daily Echo: "I'm not the type of person who kids himself or someone who sits there bemoaning my luck and thinking the world is against me.

"I'm realistic and I know where our deficiencies lie. We're not posing as much of a threat to opposing teams as we ought to and we're not putting teams under as much pressure with goalmouth action.

"Jo Kuffour and Lee Bradbury can't create all their own chances. We need to supply them with a steady service. If you only get one cross a game, you might score one goal in 10 games. But if you get 10 crosses a game, you might get a goal a game.

"We're killing ourselves by conceding sloppy goals and need to get that instinct back where attackers take a chance. At the moment, we're not looking like we're going to score goals that we're not entitled to score.

"Sometimes, you need people to take a chance.

"If you wait until something has happened and then try to get there, you will always be second and that's evident with us. That little bit of initiative and predators' instinct is lacking and it's frustrating."

Bond, who says he will continue to scour the loan market for reinforcements, also believes his new-look squad is still bedding in after undergoing major surgery in the summer.

"I'm trying my best and if I could make some room to bring somebody in, I would," he added. "I'd like to give us a bit more pace if I could.

"I like high-energy players and like to play a high-tempo game.

"I let 14 players go in the summer and gave a number their league debuts at the start of the season.

"It's a learning curve for the coaching staff as much as it is for the players when you make so many changes.

"Some will work, some won't hit it off straight away and some will need a bit of time. It doesn't help when you get hit with colossal injuries. That's not an excuse, it's a fact.

"But we need to learn and we need to learn fast. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves, but you need to highlight where you're going wrong and people need to step up to the plate and take responsibility."