With Laurens Ten Heuvel going back to Sheffield United next week, Groves will be left with just two fit strikers - providing he doesn't get another body in.
A new striker is Groves priority, with the cash for that in place. But Groves is desperate for more cash to avoid another episode like Saturday.
We've brought in more players than was asked for over the summer but, as you've seen, we need to make it better," Groves told the Grimsby Telegraph.
"We've lost five midfielders that would be in or around it and a striker that would have been on the bench.
"Whether the squad is big enough is for people to make up their own minds. We've got enough in the budget for a striker.
"But this is going to be the situation when we get stretched and we've got people out because of the depth of the squad.
"The club has undergone some major adjustments in the last 20 months and is in a much healthier position because of that.
"There are so many clubs going into administration, but ours has been run prudently. Of course, we'll ask the question about more money because that's our job.
"The board will have the final say, and rightly so, because they run it. They want to run it like a business so it continues to function in the long term.
"But there has to be a balance and we've got to strike the right one. People want success but people also want the club to survive."