Paul Harbinson is hoping the signings of San Johnston and Andy Hall will help entice further quality additions to Dundela.
Harbinson admitted it has been a "baptism of fire" since taking over from Niall Currie at the start of November.
The former Ballyclare Comrades boss revealed he went into the job at Wilgar Park with open eyes as the committee were up front and honest with him about the interest in several of their players.
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And so it proved as on January 1st Chris Rodgers, Lee Chapman and Eoghan McCawl all swapped east Belfast for Portadown to link up with their old boss Currie again, and Eamon Fyfe made the switch to Coleraine.
Harbinson is also bracing himself to lose highly-rated teenagers Rhys Annett and Ryan McKay with the 'Big Two' touted as potential suitors for the pair.
But rather than be downbeat about the situation the Duns manager is determined to push for quality replacements as he and the club target a successful future.
"I knew when I arrived at the club there would be movement," said Harbinson.
"The committee and secretary Paul Moore have been great since I came here, he tipped me off that there had been deals agreed.
"So I knew going into it there would be things happening, but I'm not sure I really saw the magnitude of the job or the task.
"When you take four regular starters out of your team, and then there's big interest in our two young lads from the Premiership, that's six players who play regularly who could be gone from your starting eleven.
"The work has been to keep the group together that we have, keep the quality that we have, and keep them motivated.
"There was also that little bit of work of trying to keep those players who had agreed to move on motivated while they were still here.
"That was massively difficult because it's human nature to think about where you're going, so that was a task to manage that also.
"Now it's about trying to replace what we have lost
"I said from day one I had no interest in just bringing players in for the sake of adding bodies.
"The players we recruit have to be as good as the ones we already have, or better.
"It's a challenge because you're not going to get that level of player instantly as no-one is going to walk away from the club they're at unless they are unhappy.
"Most players have got themselves decent deals and are happy where they are.
"There's a bit of movement that has to happen at Premiership clubs before you get the opportunity to speak to those sorts of players.
"So the big challenge has been to replace the quality we have lost and to be honest I think it is going to take right through to the end of January before I can say we have got the sort of targets we were looking for."
Harbinson was delighted to announce the signings of Hall and Johnston this week and he is hoping there will be a few more before the end of the month.
"I have to give the club massive credit as they've been really supportive, they have said they will back me to try and sign those sorts of players," he said.
"There's always that catch-22 as I could go out and sign a lot of players from Amateur League and Championship level at best and get them in quickly to fill the gaps.
"But the club agreed at the start that we wanted to sign quality so we're prepared to wait for it.
"We're fortunate that Sam's loan wasn't working out for him at the Welders.
"I've rated Sam from his days back at Ards. We were talking about the year he faced 12 penalties and saved 10 of them, which is frightening.
"I believe we have a top class goalkeeper and I will be working hard to get the very best out of him again.
"Andy Hall needs no introduction, he could put the ball on a sixpence.
"I met with Andy about six weeks ago, he was still doing rehab after some surgery, but he said he felt great and he was training again after the physio told him it was fine.
"He met with a couple of other clubs, but we kept in touch and I think we just hit it off.
"I think we have similar motivations and drive, everything matched, and he decided last week to come and join us.
"With the likes of Sam and Andy here now hopefully that starts the ball rolling so that other players of that level look at the club and say we have ambition because we're signing that style and quality of player."
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