AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said his side are “upbeat and positive” despite their 2-0 defeat to Stockport County at Plough Lane on Wednesday night which meant his side missed the chance to move further away from the relegation zone with their game in hand.
Josh Stokes and Tayo Edun scored in the second half to give fifth-placed County the points.
The Dons are three points clear of Exeter City in what is almost certainly the last relegation spot to be decided.
Wimbledon have only taken one point from the last 24 available and haven’t scored in their last five games.
“We’re upbeat, we’re positive,” Jackson said on the Dons’ website. “It’s in our hands, our destiny, what we set out to achieve at the start of the season. Staying in the division, that’s still in our control. Yes, we’ve got to find some results, but getting some lads back would definitely help with that.
“But the key is the positivity that the lads showed, the body language they showed at the end. The support that we’re getting from the crowd is what we need in order to see through three massive games.
“Togetherness, recovery, no moaning, whinging, feeling sorry for yourself. No-one else will. And they’re not, by the way. They’re staying positive.”
Marcus Browne and Sam Hutchinson were the latest to be added to the Dons’ injury list as they missed the game.
“Browney just felt something out of the game up at Burton,” Jackson said. “We started him, he felt good going into it and we got him off the pitch at the right time. But it was just too sore coming out of it to put him at risk tonight. We’re hopeful that he can be available to us on Saturday.
“It was the same situation with Hutch as well. You know, having not played any football, he’d done a job for the team on Saturday, but that put him out tonight. It’s just where we’re at. The luck that we’ve had with the injuries is obviously horrendous.”
Jackson praised the home fans for their reaction to the defeat.
“The supporters have been unbelievable tonight, applauding us off at the end,” Jackson said. “They realise the efforts the boys are putting in.
“You know, lads coming on, sprinting around, trying to make things happen. But these are young lads, this is [Osman] Foyo, [Kai] Jennings, [Layton] Stewart, who’s not played a lot of football for us. They’re giving everything.
“They need some help with lads back, which will make us look stronger. Tonight probably was a consequence of where our two squads are at compared to each other. Even if everyone’s fit and all their players are fit, they’ve got a pretty strong squad.
“So for us to be able to carry the injuries and get a result against them is going to be tough. We felt like we could do it. We went into the game with that mindset and we were in it for long, long periods.”
Wimbledon face ninth-placed Plymouth Argyle at Plough Lane on Saturday (3pm).
