GRAHAM Heathcote has taken action to halt his side's recent slide by signing former Blackpool defender Paul Tierney.

The Alty boss moved quickly to bring in the versatile 25-year-old after watching his side go on a five-game winless streak since their opening day victory at Woking.

Able to play at left back or left midfield, Tierney will strengthen the Robins' options on their problem left flank.

And unless performances improve, Heathcote said more could soon follow, even if it means releasing players to balance the books.

He told SAM Sport: "It's quite simple, we've had six games and I'm not happy with the return of points because we should have a far healthier total.

"Saturday's game (against Eastbourne) was a classic example of that. We dominated and came away with nothing and that's just not good enough.

"I'm not prepared to sit around and wait until to Christmas to make changes, I have to act now.

"It's an ongoing process and there may be more arrivals in the near future, which means we might have to let a few go.

"I'll do what I need to do to improve the team."

Tierney started his career as a trainee at Manchester United but was never able to break into the first team at Old Trafford, spending time on loan at Crewe, Colchester and Bradford.

After leaving United in 2005 he spent the following season with Livingston in the Scottish Premier league, where he made 25 appearances.

A move to Blackpool followed but Tierney was limited to just 10 first team appearances in two years at Bloomfield Road and spent most of last season on loan at Stockport, where he was a key component in their League Two play-off winning side.