CIRENCESTER TOWN will give a debut to former Bristol Rovers keeper Mike Green in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier home match with Chesham United this afternoon.

Town have shipped 17 goals in their first five league outings of the season and were thumped 6-2 by Hitchin Town on Saturday.

Green, 22, is the first of a number of changes that manager Brian Hughes is expected to make over the next fortnight after his side have earned just one point from a possible 15 in their faltering start to the campaign.

Green earned his first professional contract with Rovers in 2006 and was a regular on the bench although only making two appearances for the club.

He spent a season on loan with Gloucester City and was voted joint Player of the Season in April 2010, when he helped the club to avoid relegation from the Conference North.

Having been released by Rovers along with 16 others in the summer, Green has had short spells this term at Eastleigh and Gloucester City (again), where he was brought in as injury cover for Kev Sawyer.

Green replaces Town keeper Danny Greaves who is thought to be returning to Mangotsfield United.

Town manager Brian Hughes said: “Danny is a lovely lad but he has been playing with a hamstring injury and it has now affected his confidence.

“His wife is pregnant with twins and I think the travelling (from Bristol) is also getting him down, so he has one or two other issues to deal with.

“I am not about to pin the blame on Danny as we were awful across the board on Saturday. Their centre forward got a hat-trick and their winger got two, so my defence must look hard at themselves.

“The games are coming up thick and fast and I have got to do something about it.

“Things did not work out for Mike (Green) at Eastleigh, but he did a very good job for Gloucester City.”

Hughes also has Matt Lock on a short term loan from the Tigers.

“We tried to get Locky in the summer when we knew he was relocating from Chelmsford where he played in the Blue Square South, but it did not work out,” said Hughes.

“He has had an ankle injury which has prevented him from starting for Gloucester so far and he is with us until he gets back to full fitness.”

Hughes is bemused by the number of goals Cirencester are conceding, particularly as he had been comfortable about the defence he had put together in pre-season.

“I know just how Arsene Wenger feels,” said Hughes.

“Hitchin put six past us on Saturday and it could have been 16.

“I am not going to throw everything away after just five games but Saturday was very painful to watch and I think there will be a number of changes in the next couple of weeks.

“We have let in 14 goals in three away games against teams who are, in all honesty, not going to be involved at the end of the season.”