ANDY Scott believes he now has the extra bodies he needs in case a late loss of form forces the Bees into the play-offs, writes Yann Tear.

Former MK Dons midfielder Craig Dobson became the fourth short-term signing in a week for Brentford's boss, who is leaving nothing to chance in the run-in.

Dobson joined weekend signings Darren Powell, Billy Clarke and Damien Spencer - who were all named as subs for Monday night's game-that-never-was at Dagenham.

Dobson, 25, became a free agent after being released by the MK Dons in January - having only played one match for them after transferring from Stevenage Borough last year.

It is not the first time he has been at Brentford. He came for a trial in the 2003-04 season when Wally Downes was in charge and played twice for the reserves, scoring once.

"I didn't want to be left short - especially if we did happen to drop out of the promotion places and went onto the play-offs," said Scott, who this week also extended the loan spell of Aston Villa striker Sam Williams until May.

"We are in a position where I feel new faces coming into the squad give us competition and that buffer in case we do go down with some more injuries.

"It was a decision that was made a while ago. I've been tracking Darren for a while and Billy some time ago as well and I'm delighted to bring all three in."

Scott added: "Craig gives us an option wide right. He's been training with us for five weeks now and worked himself into the ground to give himself the chance of earning a contract.

"He gives something that little bit different that we didn't have before."

The return of Powell will cause the greatest emotional resonance for Bees fans. The

central defender, now 33, played at Griffin Park for four years before moving to Crystal Palace in 2002.

He was in the same Bees side as Scott that gained promotion from the same division they now find themselves in 10 years ago.

Powell as also one of the mainstays of the Steve Coppell side that so nearly made it to what is now the Championship.

He played for Southampton after Palace before a switch to Derby which ended in January and he has been taken on until the end of the season.

"Darren is a massive physical presence. Powerful and good in the air," Scott said. "He's very experienced and reads the game well. Although he's played at Championship level for a num

ber of years, his ability to play at this level is the same as it was years ago.

"What he does do is organise really well. He gives us just a bit more competition in that area that we need to go into the last eight games of the season."

The two strikers Scott has added to the squad - to replace Nathan Elder and the on-loan Jordan Rhodes, who are both out for the rest of the season - could not be more different.

Damian Spencer, 27, is a robust target man - nicknamed 'The Tank' in the past - who has made more than 200 appearances for Cheltenham Town, while Billy Clark is a more nimble exponent of the art of goalscoring.

The 21-year-old is still relatively new to his trade, although

he has earned 11 Republic of Ireland U21 caps and made nearly 50 appearances for Ipswich Town.

Clarke is the third player from Portman Road to turn up at Griffin Park this season, following on from Dean Bowditch and Jordan Rhodes, and there is little doubt he will be playing to earn a permanent deal at Brentford.

Since 2006, the man from Cork has gone out on loan to Colchester, Falkirk, Darlington and Northampton as well as the Bees and wants to find himself a regular starting role somewhere.

"The minute the move came up, I was definitely interested in coming," Clarke told the Gazette.

"I asked Dean [Bowditch] and Jordan [Rhodes] about their

time here and they only had positive things to say. It wasn't a hard decision to come.

"I've been to two clubs this season and scored quite a few goals for both so I've confidence in my own ability.

"My contract's up at Ipswich at the end of the season and I'm not getting offered anything, so hopefully I can get myself sorted between now and the end of the season somewhere.

"A permanent move here is definitely something I'd like to think about very seriously.

"I want to get settled now and have a week of training and get to know everyone.

"It's nice to come out to a team that's top of the league.

"Colchester were second when I joined them a couple of years ago and that's not a bad thing."

Next Up: GILLINGHAM

Griffin Park Saturday 3pm League Two

Manager: Mark Stimson Position last season: 22nd Lg1 Form Guide: Last weekend's shock 3-0 defeat at struggling Grimsby saw the Gills drop down from second place.They were unbeaten in eight matches before that visit to Blundell Park. The Gills have done well to recover from an early season thrashing at Shrewsbury when they were crushed 7-0 and Stimson's team have won seven times on the road - at Darlington (2-1),Macclesfield (1-0), Morecambe (1-0),Port Vale (3-1), Chester (1-0),Accrington (2-0) and Notts County (1-0). Players to look out for: Midfielder Simeon Jackson - 22 on the day of the match - is riding high in the goals chart with 17 so far.

Most recent meetings: Gillingham 1-1 Brentford (20 Dec 2008); Gillingham 2-1 Brentford (31 Mar 2007); Brentford 2-2 Gillingham (21 Oct 2006) - League Two. Head-to-head record: BEES Wins: 32 GFC Wins: 32 Draws: 18 

Match Facts: Having had the same number of wins after 82 clashes, the teams have been well matched down the years. But the Bees have not won any of the last eight meetings. Their last success came in September 1997 when Marcus Bent and Robert Taylor (with a penalty) netted in a 2-0 home win. The Gills have claimed a win (2-1 in 1999) and two draws at Griffin Park since then. The last clash between the sides in London in October 2006 ended 2-2, with Matt Heywood and Calum Willock scoring. Kevin O'Connor is the only player who survives from the Bees line-up that day.

Forecast: Promotion is in sight and although the Bees will want to get the job finished as quickly as possible, they might take just a point this time.

Gazette forecast success rate: 27 out of 42 (64 per cent)