BURNLEY boss Steve Cotterill believes he will struggle to add any more free signings to his squad.

Cotterill has rebuilt his squad with five players arriving over the summer for the paltry sum of just £55,000.

Cotterill can still raid the loan market, but he now accepts that with the season up and running, he will struggle to add to his numbers by digging into the bargain bins.

"Having a small squad can be an advantage, but we still need a few more players to complete the circle," insisted Cotterill ahead of tonight's league game at Rotherham.

"Ideally I would like three more players and to have an (outfield) squad of 15 players I feel I can call upon.

"I don't mean this disrespectfully to anyone, but if we get to the stage where we are calling on the three young lads, it will be too much for them and we can't afford to carry anyone.

"But if I have to go and get someone now, the chances are I'm going to have to pay a fee.

"The free transfers have already gone and any extra money would have been more valuable in May or June.

"There were players on free transfers in June that I ignored because I needed to fill certain positions first."

Cotterill was blown away by the level of support inside Turf Moor for last weekend's opening Division One game against Sheffield United.

And he urged supporters to keep turning up in numbers and boost his limited transfer

kitty for the long season ahead.

He added: "If ever there was a time we needed the fans with us, pushing us all the way, it's now.

"If you just think back 12 months there might not even have been a club here, so perhaps we must not lose touch of that.

"But I so wanted that win last weekend to keep them coming back. We don't need the fans turning up with six games to go and needing big support to get us victories.

"We need them now so that I can ask for a bit more money to try to strengthen the team."

An injury to one mystery player ahead of tonight's Millmoor clash shows how thin on the ground Cotterill is at present.

And the Clarets chief admits midweek games are another hindrance denying him valuable time for the inevitable injuries to heal.

He said: "The midweek games don't help because when you have a week to prepare, you can be more thorough than when you have a couple of days.

"I think it's going to be a tough opening few weeks for us until we can get into a bit of a pattern from Saturday to Saturday."

Former Burnley midfielder Paul Weller is training with Rochdale in the hope of earning a contract.

Weller, who was one of four players to leave Turf Moor this summer, still finds himself without a new club at the start of the new campaign.

But Rochdale manager Steve Parkin confirmed: "Paul is here with a view to joining the club and we'll have to see what the financial situation is like."