JOHNNIE Jackson reminded his side “it’s still in our hands” after AFC Wimbledon slipped to just two points above League One’s relegation zone with two games left.
The Dons were beaten 3-1 by play-off challengers Plymouth Argyle at Plough Lane as Exeter goalkeeper Jack Bycroft scored a sensational 96th-minute equaliser in the hosts’ 3-3 draw against Stockport County to reduce the gap.
Alistair Smith scored Wimbledon’s first goal since march 21 after Alex Mitchell had given the visitors a first-half lead.
The Dons were denied a crucial point as Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple sealed the win for Tom Cleverley’s side.
Wimbledon travel to Wigan Athletic and then host Huddersfield Town in their last two games.
Exeter go to Burton Albion and then play Bradford Cit at home.
The Dons have picked up just one point in their last nine games.
“Not the result we wanted, clearly,” Jackson said on the Dons’ website. “[It was] a game that we were in for long periods, got ourselves back in it by equalising, felt like we might go on and even win the game for a period there, but probably the second goal was a bit of quality, a moment of magic really from Tolaj.
“There’s a difference between the teams and then the game gets open and they pick us off on the counter for a third, but that was a pivotal moment in the game, that bit of quality from him takes it away from us and we didn’t quite recover from that.
“It was tough, the boys are giving absolutely everything yet again. Supporters are giving absolutely everything, there’s a real unity in the place.
“Unfortunately, it’s tough on the pitch for the boys at the minute. With the state of the squad, the injuries that we’ve got, we’ve got lads out on the pitch that are playing through stuff.
“Johnno [Ryan Johnson] comes back in today, he’s not 100 per cent but he’s out there giving absolutely everything. Smudge [Smith] is the same, playing through niggles and things like that, which has an effect on things.
“But they’re giving absolutely everything, trying hard and today we created more than we have done in a long time. We scored, which we haven’t done in a while, so there was some stuff to like.
“At the end of the day, we need a result and it wasn’t today. There’s no getting away from it. Fortunately, it’s still in our hands. We could have walked in today and found out the result elsewhere and it puts a different picture on it, but we have got our destiny in our own hands.
“We’ve got two games, hopefully we’ve got some bodies coming back, because the boys need help. They need some help. We need some lads back and we think that hopefully can be the case and that gives us a better chance of picking up results like it was earlier in the season when we had our squad intact.”
Exeter currently have a plus-ten better goal difference than the Dons, while Leyton Orient, a point and place above them, have a plus-seven better goal difference. It means that if Exeter beat the Brewers and Jackson’s side can only draw with Wigan then they will go into the last game of the season in the bottom four.
Jackson added: “There can’t be any moping about, whinging and whining and stuff like that this week and there won’t be.
“They’re a good group, but obviously at the minute they’re hurt because there was a chance for us today to pick up a win which would have gone a long way to securing [safety], but we get another opportunity next week and then another opportunity the week after.
“So, two games to go, two massive games with it in our control, which is a really good thing.
“Destiny in our own hands and we have to attack it like this club always does.
“It never does it the easy way, does it, Wimbledon? Adversity throughout the history – i’s just another chapter in that.”
